Washington, D.C. — Ahead of the upcoming right-wing ‘rally’ to advocate for the so-called “political prisoners” — better known as the violent insurrectionists that attempted a violent coup at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 — Accountable.US released a report identifying the group and individuals behind the rally, including those with ties to violent cults and terrorist groups.

“As long as Trump and his allies in Congress continue to keep the Big Lie alive, it will continue to attract support from unstable people who traffic in unhinged conspiracies,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “This rally in support of seditionists is yet another toxic result of Trump’s disdain for the truth and inability to accept the will of the people. What happened on January 6th was not just a despicable and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol Building —  it was an attack on the very foundation of our democracy, and it caused irrevocable damage. The extreme views of the fringe organizations behind this event, including sympathizing with terrorist groups and cults, must be brought to light lest anyone confuse them for serious people.”   

The rally planned for this weekend has city and government officials rightfully preparing for another insurrection-style riot considering the group behind the planned rally, Look Ahead America, has a frightening track record of associating with cults, far-right, and otherwise fringe groups. According to Accountable.US’s research, Look Ahead America is also associated with the Center For The Study Of New Religions (CESNUR), which has been described as a defender of cults. CESNUR and its leaders have repeatedly worked to protect cults that committed acts of violence, including: 

  • Defending the terror group and cult Aum Shinrikyo after they committed a deadly gas attack that wounded nearly 6,000 people and killed 13 in 1995. Aum Shinrikyo paid the bill for the CESNUR members to defend the organization.
     
  • Defending The Church of The Almighty God (TAG), a Chinese cult that has been known to kidnap andhold captive people in an attempt to force them to join. When a member of the cult murdered a woman in 2014, CESNUR said claims of TAG involvement was part of a fake news campaign against the group.

Read the full report here

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