The New York attorney general has sent a stern warning to an upstate church about hosting a controversial event on the anniversary of the violent Unite the Right rally.
Paul Doyle is pastor of Cornerstone Church in Batavia, New York. Cornerstone is scheduled to host Eric Trump, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and other far-right speakers at the “ReAwaken America Tour” event.
The Associated Press reports:
… James said she was concerned that the event, which is being held on the five-year anniversary of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, “could spur extremist or racially motivated violence.” She cited “past extremist statements made by yourselves and the other featured speakers on the tour,” specifically mentioning a racist conspiracy theory that recently inspired a gunman to kill 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket.
Investigators, she said, “stand ready” to respond to any violations of state laws.
Pastor Doyle took issue with the letter, telling the AP: “I take exception to the words she uses, like extreme views. What’s that mean? What’s extreme? We’re conservative Christians. Now we’re extreme?”
Read more about this at Syracuse.com.
