At the ReAwaken America Tour in Virginia Beach last month, Congressman Clay Clark opened the event by asking the crowd two questions.
“Ladies and gentlemen, how many of you out there agree that Jesus is King? How many of you believe that President Donald J. Trump is president?” he said amid chants of “U.S.A.” from the audience.
That mix of religion, politics and conspiracy is what Western New Yorkers can expect during the tour at Cornerstone Church in Batavia Friday and Saturday.
Originally planned to be held in Rochester, the controversial right-of-way was condemned by area activists, religious leaders and even New York’s top law enforcement agency.
Critics have argued the event, which spreads misinformation about COVID-19 and the 2020 election, harms public health and democracy, and can even lead to violence. in tribes. But the local theologians, and the pastor who is hosting the event, say their views should be heard.
The ReAwaken America Tour visited 13 cities in 11 states over the past 16 months.
It is organized by Clark, an Oklahoma-based podcaster who is being sued for his votes by the former manager of Dominion Voting, and Michael Flynn, the former Trump administration security adviser. country that pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about its contacts with Russia.
WBFO reached out to Clark and his Thrive Time Show podcast for comment, but did not hear back.
The events that show all the seals in the world Trump and more popular. Trump advisor Roger Stone, MyPillow CEO and election denier Mike Lindell, and even the first son of the president, Eric, are scheduled to speak at the Batavia stop.
The most popular events to discuss conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the 2020 election. The popular belief is that the Satanic cabal led by the founder of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab is causing the elections, and creating the disease to encourage dangerous vaccinations in the population of the world.
The marketing campaign is juxtaposing the World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset,” a model of the economy after COVID, against right-wing models for the “Great Awakening” of the American public. .
Studies similar to those presented in QAnon are still growing, said University at Buffalo associate professor of political science Jacob Neiheisel.
“There is something for everyone. If your target group is one of the conspiracies, you can buy into that and call yourself a pilgrim or QAnon believer. You don’t have to buy everything,” Neiheisel said. “It’s like an ala carte conspiracy theory.”
However, religion, and Christianity in particular, seems to be the most important theme of the tour. Speakers often argue that the US is a Christian nation.
“This government was founded on Judeo-Christian principles,” Trump supporter Mark Burns said during a tour of Texas last year. “This nation was founded on the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.”
Neiheisel, who studies the Christian right, said that the event fits the brand of Christian nationalism, the belief that the American government should take strong steps to remain a Christian state.
“There may be debates as to whether something is really appropriate here, but this is a combination of faith and politics,” he said.
As for how the tour is funded, ReAwaken America does not list ticket prices. Instead, its website directs participants to request to be contacted by a service representative. Participants can “state [their] value,” according to Clark.
The tour also sells merchandise, such as T-shirts criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci, and promoted Clark’s legal funding and “business school,” as well as Lindell’s MyPillow product.
The concern is that the incident will lead to ‘symbolic violence’
The weekend was set to take place at the Rochester Main Street Armory, until the venue backed out last month after a public backlash led to the Japanese pop-rock band canceling their show. show in September there.
Meanwhile, activists in the Batavia area, as well as religious leaders, are expressing concern about what happened in their city.
“The ReAwaken America tour is not what Batavia represents,” said Gregory Lebens-Higgins, a member of the Genesee County Democratic Socialists of America, which opposed the tour.
In addition to harming public health and democracy, the incident could put religious and minority groups, as well as LGBTQ people, at risk, Lebens-Higgins said. . He said that Burns, one of the speakers of the tour, called for parents and teachers who talk to children about LGBTQ issues to be killed for defamation; Burns does not plan to speak about the event in Batavia, according to the tour schedule.
“We need to show exactly what the ReAwaken America Tour represents, which is fascism. American fascists see white, Christian, gay men as the rightful citizens of the country,” said Lebens. -Higgins. “Those who do not meet this narrow definition of true Americans are a threat.”
New York State Attorney General Letitia James seems to share those concerns. He sent a letter to Clark and Flynn on August 3, warning that their event could provoke “incitement to racism.” It states that speakers on the tour often refer to the Great Replacement theory which is linked to the racial discrimination on May 14 at the Tops Market in Buffalo.
The Civil Rights Act mandates the Attorney General to investigate acts of violence and intimidation based on race, gender, religion and sexual orientation. , the letter reads, adding that any person who violates this law may be liable for up to $5,000 for each violation.
“You are hereby directed to take all necessary steps to ensure that the event fully complies with the requirements of New York’s copyright laws and all other applicable state and federal laws,” the letter said. said James. “Your cooperation in ensuring a peaceful and law-abiding event will be greatly appreciated.”
In response, Clark posted a video from Cornerstone Church on Thursday in which he reserved a front row seat for James.
“We didn’t bring him back, but we invited him and we’ll see if he wants to participate,” he said.
Genesee County DSA, which started earlier this year with about 15 to 20 members, is planning a “learn-to” event at Batavia’s Austin Park on Saturday. The group advises parents to be careful when bringing children to the event, noting “safety concerns.”
Lebens-Higgins said there are concerns that ReAwaken America will attract white supremacists and other extremist groups, such as the Proud Boys, which has a Rochester chapter. WBFO reported in June that Western New York is home to the most right-wing, anti-government group the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Read and listen to the WBFO series “Extremism in WNY.”
Lebens-Higgins said ReAwaken America organizers chose Batavia because “it felt like a safe place.” Trump won Genesee County in 2020 with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
However, Lebens-Higgins noted that Batavia is diverse and has quite a large LGBTQ population.
“We know that we must continue to work to provide a community that welcomes all of the people who live here, and to show the surrounding communities of Buffalo and Rochester that they are not just a few rural, rural, conservative, damaged cities. ,” he said.
Paul Doyle, pastor of Cornerstone Church, said he met with concerned citizens and community leaders, and held more than 20 media interviews about ReAwaken America.
“And I haven’t found anything to substantiate their concerns,” he said.
Doyle said he did not hear of any problems during the first ReAwaken America stop, and will go ahead with hosting under a large tent in his church’s 20 acres of land.
Doyle said Clark approached him shortly after the Main Street Armory pulled out of hosting the event. However, he said there will be “no exchange” between Cornerstone and ReAwaken America.
Cornerstone Church is a tax exempt 501c3, under the corporate name New Hope Ministries. The tax code prohibits churches from participating in politics, although there are many gray areas and the IRS rarely enforces them.
“Even though I’m a pastor, I’m an American citizen, and so is my congregation,” Doyle said, “and if they want to challenge my 501c3 status, then they can. They do that, but I don’t think so. it will happen.”
Doyle said he does not condone violence or racism at the event, and that local law enforcement will be in place. He added that the church will have a large parking lot, food trucks, food and restrooms.
Overall, he said he and his church support the message of ReAwaken America.
“We are Christians, I see many Christian voices. And I knew some of them and I liked what they were doing,” he said. “I still believe that their voices should be heard. I was worried that these kinds of things were canceled.”
Nancie Orticelli, the leader of one of the Western New York opposition groups, the Constitutional Coalition of New York State, said she would not attend, but conservatives in the area are happy with what happened.
Many of them do not feel represented in a free state like New York, said Orticelli, and therefore ReAwaken America may motivate them to participate in politics.
“It affects people rather than just taking violence from the government for a long time,” he said.
To Orticelli, ReAwaken America promotes “faith, family and freedom.”
“I know I’m not a white supremacist, and I believe in those things,” he said. “I think it’s a belief across the country in America that our faith, our family, and our freedoms are important and important to freedom in the United States.”
ReAwaken America said it will sell 3,500 tickets for the event. As of Friday morning, his website said tickets were still available.
