State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin), the 2022 Republican candidate for governor, addresses a crowd gathered for a rally celebrating William Penn in the state Capitol rotunda in Harrisburg on July 1, 2022.
Sam Dunklau / WITF
Two Lancaster County venues cancel pro-Mastriano right-wing movie premieres
A movie theater and a hotel have canceled screenings of a film that pushes debunked COVID conspiracy theories, and advocates for Pa. Sen. Doug Mastriano’s candidacy for governor.
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Robby Brod
Sam Dunklau / WITF
State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin), the 2022 Republican candidate for governor, addresses a crowd gathered for a rally celebrating William Penn in the state Capitol rotunda in Harrisburg on July 1, 2022.
The trailer for “Return of the American Patriot: The Rise of Pennsylvania” claims the state government used the lockdown to assert control over its residents.
“Once you give away freedoms like that,” says one woman, “it’s very hard to get them back.”
She was referring to mask mandates, which were proven to have reduced the spread of COVID-19. Pa.’s mask mandate was lifted on June 28, 2021.
The film also likens rioters in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack to Revolutionary War heroes fighting against a tyrannical government. Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf is portrayed as a tyrant.
Penn Ketchum, who owns Penn Cinema in Lititz, said he canceled the premiere of the film last week once he became aware of its “nationalist populist agenda.” The film’s director has threatened to sue Ketchum, citing 400 ticket sales and a scheduled appearance from Mastriano.
The Wyndham Lancaster Resort and Convention Center was later booked for the event, but subsequently canceled as well, according to a Facebook post from Steve Turley, the film’s director.
The film features interviews with right-wing groups who push debunked conspiracy theories, and conservative politicians, including Mastriano.
Mastriano has used his social media pages and other public forums to spread disinformation about COVID vaccines and the 2020 election. His support of Donald Trump’s election-fraud lie included staging a policy committee meeting that gave Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani a platform to spread conspiracy theories. He used campaign dollars to charter buses with thousands of supporters to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, and was seen crossing police lines in front of the Capitol as the attack unfolded.
Mastriano maintains he did not break any laws and never entered the Capitol during the riot.
Mastriano is running for governor against Democratic Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro. In the months following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Shapiro’s office defeated at least 40 lawsuits filed by Trump alleging voter fraud against the state.
For more information on where Mastriano and Shapiro stand on election security issues in Pa., click here.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
