Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Senator Mike Regan toss a climate protester outside of Senstor Scott Martin’s fundraiser outside Rubicon.
Ironically the man blocking the entrance (illegal) is Michael Bagdes-Canning former Vice President of the PSEA – $2.8 million PAC who spend millions every year on politicians.
Martin, a former Lancaster County commissioner, is the current chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and a member of the Senate’s Environmental Resources & Energy Committee. He did not respond to journalists’ questions as he entered the event.
Martin’s campaign spokesman Jason Ercole later said, “While Senator Martin supports the right of anyone to peacefully protest, they must follow the laws of our state and never put the well-being or rights of others in jeopardy by physically blocking entry and exit into a private business.”
Sen. Mike Regan of York County grabbed a demonstrator during an environmental protest in Harrisburg on Tuesday and pulled him away from the entrance to a political fundraiser, a video of the encounter shows.
The protesters had gathered outside a restaurant — where Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, was hosting a $1,000-per-plate event — because they wanted to call attention to the way moneyed special interests influence environmental policy, said Michael Badges-Canning, one of the activists.
The protester, who identified himself as Michael Bagdes-Canning, of Butler County, told the Capital-Star that he was “in a bit of pain,” after his confrontation with Regan, a former U.S. Marshal, and was already contending with back issues.
The protesters, garbed in hazardous materials suits, blocked access to the event, forcing attendees who had been asked to pay up to $5,000, to wait across the street from the restaurant shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The clip, recorded by progressive activist Sean Kitchen, who happened upon the protest, was first reported by the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. It also circulated widely on Twitter, with many users condemning Regan for using force on the 69-year-old climate demonstrator.
“I was just aghast,” said Carol Stowell, a York resident who was part of Tuesday’s protest and witnessed the encounter. “I just couldn’t believe that a senator would behave that way.”
Badges-Canning, wearing a hazmat suit and holding a cane, was kneeling in front of the restaurant doorway when Regan walked up, the recording shows. The senator pulled Badges-Canning away from the entrance and stepped over the demonstrator as he walked into the restaurant, according to the video.
“Get your hands off of him!” a woman yelled. Regan’s office did not respond to an interview request about the interaction with Badges-Canning. The Dillsburg Republican, a former U.S. Marshal, has served in the Senate for roughly six years.
Jason Ercole, a campaign spokesman for Martin, said it’s disappointing that the group of protesters “chose to partake in a publicity stunt” rather than meet with the senator personally and “discuss their concerns like adults.”
Harrisburg police were soon called to the scene to try to peacefully break up the protest held by the environmental advocacy group, which identified itself as Pennsylvanians for Action on Climate.
“This is toxic stain on our government,” Bagdes-Canning told the Capital-Star. “Scott Martin is a reliable vote for the fossil fuel industry.” A veteran environmental activist, Bagdes-Canning sought the Green Party nomination for lieutenant governor in 2022.
Records filed with the Department of State show Martin receiving contributions from political action committees representing such major utilities as UGI, PPL and First Energy during the 2020 campaign cycle.
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