After threatening to remove school board members who try to pass mask mandates, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania office is in hot water.
Steve Lynch, a candidate for Northampton County Executive gave a speech to a Freedom Rally in Harrisburg this weekend. He chillingly suggested that he could forcibly remove elected officials who don't do his will.
These school boards are filled with data. Lynch stated that you go to these school boards to remove them. He later added, "Im going in with 20 strongmen and I'm gonna give them an opportunity they can leave or can be removed."
Today, Steve Lynch is running for Governor of the PA GOP. Forget about going to these school boards with freaking information. These school boards are there to remove them. Im going in with 20 strong men and Im gonna give them an option - they can leave or they can be removed. pic.twitter.com/A0M6SsOldI Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 30, 2021
Lynch turned Lynch's threat into a call for arms to other dudes, who seem to believe that might makes right is a valid legal argument.
He suggested that a rule to improve public safety might force school board members to resign.
Where are you, men? Men. Men, wake up and smell the coffee. Let's get going. Make men great again. Make men men again. Men, men. Let's go, men. You will be able to help me in the next weeks, when I walk into those school boards.
He said, "This is how you get things done."
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Lynch stated to the 200-strong audience, "When I see criminals trying my rights, my beautiful children, and all they are going to be doing, you're going to have to take mine." I will die on this hill.
Speaking of hills, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported that Lynch was present at Trump's Stop the Steal rally on January 6, which preceded storming the U.S. Capitol.
Lynch claimed he did not engage in violence during the rally but he spread discredit conspiracy theories that left-wing groups orchestrated the riot. Lynch also stated that he doesn't believe Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
Lynch's opponent in November, Lamont McClure, said to the Capital-Star, that Lynch's remarks should be investigated by law enforcement.
He said that Lynch had participated in the plot to incite a coup against our nation. It doesn't surprise me that Lynch is threatening violence to local school boards.
HuffPost reached Lynch for comment, but Lynch did not respond immediately.
However, Twitter users had their own thoughts.
It is not manly to need 20 men to beat down a school board. https://t.co/4hhhTYAI4U Mr. Newberger (@jeremynewberger) August 30, 2021
It is interesting to note that no one says anymore "This isn’t the GOP I understand". https://t.co/YWMFloiHKk Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) August 30, 2021
This is terrifying for anyone who has any knowledge about the rise and fall of the Brownshirts in Germany (Sturmabteilung). https://t.co/liwSRbg8pE Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) August 30, 2021
When this rhetoric ends in tears & blood I hope someone holds him accountable https://t.co/titMU4LB4m Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) August 30, 2021
I believe that Democracy, where individual freedoms are valued and respected, has both the RIGHT AND OBLIGATION of defending itself against those who would use those freedoms to create fascism.
Lets start with Steve Lynch here...#MondayVibeshttps://t.co/cAiJR4KJXQ Mark Judson For Congress - Scorched Earth Dem 2022 (@Judson4Congress) August 30, 2021
Steve Lynch should be detained for inciting violence against civilians and government officials. Anyone who sees Lynch anywhere should assume that he is a dangerous threat. If the local police refuse to act, @TheJusticeDept should. https://t.co/17mUxv0Sre Mark Hughes (@markhughesfilms) August 30, 2021
This article was originally published on HuffPost. It has since been updated.
