Protesters plan boycott of Chicago Chick-fil-A

Protesters plan boycott of Chicago Chick-fil-A

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A gay activist group “re-launched” a boycott of the embattled Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, with a protest at the only Chicago store Wednesday afternoon.

Protesters gathered at 4:30 p.m. at the 30 E. Chicago store.  In a statement, the group Gay Liberation Network is seeking to boycott what they claim is millions of dollars that is used to promote discrimination against gays.

The restaurant became a lightning rod for controversy last month when the company’s CEO Dan Cathy said “we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes marriage.‘”

The statement prompted boycott cries and protests from gay-rights groups as well as prominent politicians from several major U.S. cities.  In turn, a counter-protest dubbed “Chick-fil-A appreciation day” was started by former Arkansas governor and Fox News personality Mike Huckabee.

The event attracted thousands, with people showing up en masse to restaurants across the country in a show of support for the chain.
In Chicago, 1st Ward Alderman Joe Moreno upped the rhetoric by saying he would block efforts for a second Chick Fil-A, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel chiming in stating that Chick Fil-A’s values “are not Chicago values.”

The statement from the mayor has garnered a torrent of criticism from conservative groups, politicians and even Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George.   “I was born and raised here, and my understanding of being a Chicagoan never included submitting my value system to the government for approval,” he wrote in a blog post.