A communist activist called a controversial Jason Aldean song an “outright white supremacist lynching song” and a “war cry for civil war” before protesting the star’s concert on Saturday by burning American flags outside the Chicago venue.
Last month, Revolution Club’s Rafael Kadaris appeared in a video discussing Aldean’s “anti-Woke” song Try That in a Small Town, which critics called “racist.” In the song the singer calls for violence from the far left.
“Fascist country singer and wanna be thug Jason Aldean just released a new song… this is a straight up white supremacist lynching song and it is a rallying cry for civil war,” Kadaris said.
On Saturday, Kadaris appeared outside Aldean’s concert at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park to burn American flags and chant anti-American slogans with about two dozen of his comrades from Revolution Club Chicago, which calls for a revolution against capitalism. Kedaris lives in California but flew to Chicago to join the group’s protest.
“Guess what Jason (Aldean)?” one of the activists Rafael Kadaris told the Chicago Times. ‘We’re going to try that in a small town. We’re going to try that in a big city. And we’ll try it just before your concert.’
Rafael Kadaris of Revolution Club Chicago appeared in a video discussing Aldean’s “anti-Woke” song Try That in a Small Town
On Saturday, Kadaris showed up outside Aldean’s concert at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park with about two dozen of his comrades to burn American flags and chant anti-American slogans.
Before the protest, Kedaris broke out the song in a video posted to The Revcoms’ YouTube channel; he claimed the song was a rallying cry for white supremacists to take action against minorities and the LGBTQ+ community.
“If you don’t center the fascist political violence, you don’t understand where this is going,” Kadaris said, adding that the song’s lyrics “see how far you make it down the road.” a threat.
The text reads: ‘Fight a cop, spit in his face, stomp on the flag and light it. Yes, you think you’re tough. Well, try that in a small town, see how far down the street you get. away.’
Kedaris claimed the lyrics are a call for violence against those who oppose police brutality and American “crimes.”
He continued, “Jason Aldean says that people who protest police brutality or burn the flag in opposition to this country’s crimes should be put down or even killed, and he’s letting his millions of followers do just that…
One of the group’s leaders, Leo Pargo, said the flag burning was simply freedom of speech while defending communism.
“These people just can’t wait to eradicate everyone they hate: black people, immigrants, people who don’t conform to patriarchal gender roles, and anyone who stands up against this system.”
Kedaris then admits that Aldean never mentions race in the song, but adds, “but who do you think his racist audience thinks of and fears when he talks about crime?”
The communist then claims that the “good” guys Aldean talks about in the song are white supremacist groups fighting for segregation.
“This isn’t just another racist country song, it’s inciting civil war and tens of millions of people love it,” he concluded, before calling for action.
“We need masses of people willing to defeat these fascists as part of getting rid of the entire capitalist, imperialist system that has put them in power. a system that has white supremacy and male domination built into it and is currently pushing humanity toward climate catastrophe and World War III,” he said.
Activists from the Revolution Club set fire to the Stars and Stripes on Saturday before police declared their presence “an unlawful assembly” and that their activism “alarmed and disturbed others.”
The protesters want to “raise awareness of the Revolutionary Communist Party, an organization that advocates a Marxist revolution in America and characterizes the US as ‘the belly of the beast.’
Jason Aldean is seen at a concert in Chicago on Saturday evening as a protest took place outside. The protesters referenced his controversial song ‘Try That In A Small Town’ as they set fire to a flag
After the flags were burned to cinders, the protesters chanted, “We did it in a small town!” We did it in a small town!’
‘1, 2, 3, 4, slavery, genocide and war! 5, 6, 7, 8, America has never been great!’ they sang.
A dozen police officers urged the group to continue and one officer had to use a fire extinguisher to put out one of the burning flags.
One of the group’s leaders, Leo Pargo, said the flag burning was simply freedom of speech while defending communism.
“People in the United States have been lied to about communism. This protest welcomes people who may not agree with all the principles of Revolution Club Chicago,” he told the Tribune.
Aldean’s gun-toting anti-woke song was released in May and was met with swift criticism after its music video premiered on July 14.
Opponents criticized the song’s lyrics and video, suggesting they were criticizing the Black Lives Matter protests.
The singer took heat when the video interspersed clips of BLM protesters destroying cities with lyrics endorsing traditional values and “taking care of our own values.”
Aldean opens the song: ‘Knock out a cop, spit in his face. Stomp on the flag and light it. Yeah, you think you’re tough? Try that in a small town.’
The music video, which has been viewed more than 35 million times, drew backlash from some who felt the lyrics were dog whistles meant to offend, while others saw it as a commentary on America’s sharp divisions.
The country star’s hit was aimed at calling out activists for behaving “foolishly,” particularly condemning the series of BLM protests that emerged across America following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
In the music video, Aldean sings in front of a Tennessee courthouse once used for a lynching, and an American flag interlaced with clips of BLM protests.
The riots resulted in billions of dollars in damage and led to questions about why such a large number of people were willing to break the law, with Aldean feeling that the unrest was due to people not being “properly brought up.”
“Sucker punch someone on the sidewalk, carjack an old lady at a red light,” he sings. “Pull a gun on the liquor store owner – you think it’s cool, well, be a fool.
‘Look how far you get on the road. Here we take care of ourselves. If you cross that line, it won’t be long before you find out. I recommend you don’t try that in a small town.’
One line caused particular offense among some gun-hating listeners, with Aldean singing: “I got a gun that my grandpa gave me, they say one day they’re gonna pick it up… well, that s*** would be in the air can fly city, good luck.’
While some see any reference to guns as “crossing the line,” Aldean’s gun lyrics were also seen as insensitive considering he was on stage for the infamous 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that left 60 people dead and some 850 were injured.
The 46-year-old closed the song by paying tribute to Southern values, noting that small towns are “full of good ol’ boys, well raised.”
“If you’re looking for a fight, try it in a small town.”