A boycott campaign targeting conservative-leaning businesses following the election of President-elect Donald Trump has drawn criticism from conservatives, who argue the effort is a direct attack on free speech and small business owners.
Conservative political strategist Chris Robling, a former host on Chicago Public Radio and WMAQ, is the latest to condemn the initiative, calling it an overreach and a divisive attempt to silence opposing viewpoints.
“Such people should be ignored until they receive the professional attention they obviously need,” Robling told Chicago City Wire. “The Fox Valley is not a gulag. Commissars don’t rule. These two apparently believe they are in 1970s Romania. I hope they get the help they need.”
The campaign, led by Geneva Alderman Martha Paschke and political operative Paula Merrington through a Facebook group called Fox Valley Activists, targets businesses for their support of conservative causes and figures.
The group has compiled a spreadsheet listing businesses, restaurants, and charities deemed "problematic" for their political affiliations, such as displaying Trump signs or hosting GOP events.
Robling serves as president of Aria Public Design, an architectural firm specializing in hospitality, education, and agriculture, with international projects, including the creation of a STEM school for girls in Saudi Arabia.
He has held leadership roles at Jayne Thompson & Associates and The Dilenschneider Group, where he provided crisis management and communications strategies.
Additionally, Robling has worked at the Regional Transportation Authority and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
The controversial boycott has prompted local conservatives to rally behind businesses targeted by the campaign, calling for unity and support for free expression.
Dan Proft, host of Chicago's Morning Answer on WIND-AM, compared the campaign to authoritarian tactics, further fueling the debate over political polarization in America.
“The local Stasi in west suburban Chicago compiled a target list of local businesses, thanks to Gruppenführer Martha Paschke who is also an elected official in Geneva, to be eliminated with extreme prejudice for the thought and speech crimes of their owners and employees which have also been detailed,” Proft said on X.
Awake Illinois, a conservative advocacy group focused on local and state issues in Illinois, also weighed in on the controversy.
“Martha Paschke-Geneva Alderwoman for 4th ward & Dir. of Innovation & Strategy at City of Aurora-admins the Facebook Fox Valley group that is actively discouraging patronage to the very businesses in her City,” Awake Illinois said on X.
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