The communist group that burned the American flag outside Jason Aldean’s concert in Chicago last Saturday night has been branded a “cult” and a “pyramid scheme” by several left-wing organizations and activists.
The Revolutionary Communist Party, also known as RevCom, was denounced by 23 grassroots abortion rights and feminist groups in a scathing 2022 letter pleading with activists to avoid the organization during protests following the overturning of the Roe v. abortion law. Wade.
“RevCom and its ranks — Rise and Reject Fascism — are notorious for raising tens of thousands of dollars and using those funds to pay RevCom’s leadership,” the letter reads.
The group and its offshoots “basically function as pyramid schemes that prey on social movements,” it continued, saying “the group’s only goal seems to be to get more followers to raise more money.”
The letter drew criticism that has dogged RevCom for years, accusing it of a “cult of personality” around its founder, 80-year-old “new communist” writer Bob Avakian.
“Although RevCom vigorously denies accusations of being a cult, RevCom’s own website claims that the only effective way to achieve social change is to follow Avakian’s leadership and teachings,” the letter reads.
As RevCom protesters burned flags and shouted “F–k USA and all the power” outside Aldean’s concert over the weekend, they also carried signs reading “Watch Bob Avakian’s interview” — a statement that appears everywhere on the group’s website , demonstrations, and messaging on the internet.
“Bob Avakian is the most important political thinker and leader in the world today,” RevCom’s website wrote of its leader.
Protesters from the Chicago branch of the Revolutionary Communist Party burned an American flag in Chicago on Saturday. The Revcoms / Facebook
Bob Avakian, 80, founder and leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party. He has been accused of running a cult.Revcom.us
“Bob Avakian is the architect of the new framework of human liberation, the new synthesis of communism, popularly referred to as the ‘new communism,'” the website continued, before repeating the point again.
“To be a communist today means following Bob Avakian and the new path he has forged.”
Across RevCom’s social media, it’s rare to find a post that doesn’t end with a mention of Avakian’s greatness, and an appeal to read or listen to his teachings.
The Revolutionary Communist Party believes a worldwide revolution is needed to overthrow capitalism and liberate humanity. The Revcoms / Facebook
Avakian has been a divisive figure across the American communist landscape since he rose to prominence in the 1960s and ’70s, with critics raising their eyebrows at the cult following that has sprung up around his teachings — which many call his “scientific understanding.” that capitalism must be overthrown by millions of people making a global revolution.
“Let’s get down to the basics: We need a revolution. Anything else, in the final analysis, is bulls–t. —Bob Avakian, Foundations 3:1,” the RevCom website quotes, including a biblical verse instruction from one of Avakian’s books.
RevCom has denied accusations that it is a cult, calling the label “complete and absurd” in a 2014 article that argued anyone calling itself a Revolutionary Communist Party must ultimately be under the influence of capitalist-imperialist propaganda.
The group did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Protesters at Aldean’s concert burned several American flags and eventually dispersed after warnings from the police.News2Share / Youtube
About 20 members of RevCom’s Chicago chapter gathered outside Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park during Aldean’s concert, taking a jab at his controversial song “Try that in a Small Town,” which took second-hand footage of big-city protesters on video. , which they called “a piece of fascist s–t.”
“Guess what, Jason? We’re going to try it in a small town,” activist Rafael Kadaris told the Chicago Tribune.
“We will try it in the big city. And we will try it in front of your concert.”
Aldean’s song has been accused of criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement, glorifying gun violence and opposing public protests, which he denies. The video for the song was pulled from rotation by the CMT network shortly after its release.
The RevCom protesters eventually dispersed following a warning from the police, with no arrests made.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
