Picture courtesy of Victoria Police

 

A small Victorian town is under siege as authorities hunt for a suspect linked to the fatal shooting of two police officers. The incident has thrust Australia's "sovereign citizen" movement into the limelight, raising concerns about anti-government conspiracy theories.

 

In a scene reminiscent of a Hollywood thriller, Porepunkah, Australia – a town previously unknown to many – has become the epicentre of a dramatic manhunt. Heavily armed officers patrol the streets; armoured vehicles idle in the town centre, and helicopters buzz overhead, all searching for Dezi Freeman.

 

Allegedly behind the gruesome murder of two police officers, Freeman remains elusive, having vanished into the nearby bushland.

 

Shot down in cold blood, the incident has left the community in shock and fear. Local detective Neal Thompson, known for his understanding and rapport with Freeman, was tragically killed alongside Senior Constable Vadim De Waart. Another officer fights for survival in hospital, adding to the tragedy of this small-town nightmare, reported the BBC.

 

Freeman, linked to a growing sect of "sovereign citizens," has long held anti-authority beliefs. This ideology, treated as a fringe annoyance for years, has taken a deadly turn, echoing a similar police ambush in Queensland three years ago. Porepunkah, with just a thousand inhabitants, is grappling with the harsh intrusion of violence and distrust.

 

Local resident Emily White expressed disbelief and fear, “We're such a close-knit community. We never expected this.” Freeman, known to many by his legal name Desmond Filby, was not a stranger. However, the depth of his beliefs and the potential danger they posed were unknown to most.

 

The incident has sparked a national and international conversation about the growing influence and threat posed by anti-government conspiracy theorists. Once dismissed, these groups, fuelled by pandemic-related distrust, have become a significant concern for Australian authorities. Authorities, including the Australian Federal Police, are now focusing on profiling and understanding the threat posed by these sovereign citizens.

 

Despite the ongoing manhunt and heightened police presence, Porepunkah remains on edge. The incident has highlighted a broader issue within Australia, where such ideologies, though rooted in the fringes, have the potential to incite violence and disrupt societal peace. Addressing the underlying causes, such as inadequate education on legal matters and support for vulnerable individuals, is vital for future prevention.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-09-01

 

Underbelly!

If they want to be stateless, let them. Take away all their rights and ship them off to an island.

8 minutes ago, Purdey said:

If they want to be stateless, let them. Take away all their rights and ship them off to an island.

 

Umm, I think that was sort of the intent when England sent their criminals and n'er do wells there.

19 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

I think that was sort of the intent when England sent their criminals

 

Should read Great Briton.  As well as 1,321 from other parts of the Empire

How is that possible?  Australia has gun control...

 

But the thick plottens when the details come out:

 

The close associate described Freeman as a devout Christian who “did not want his kids indoctrinated with leftist bull<deleted>”. Media reports falsely described Freeman as a “sovereign citizen who doesn’t follow Australian laws”. Freeman has in fact represented himself in the courts on numerous occasions, including in the Supreme Court, where he challenged a two-year cancellation of his driver’s license.

 

...he had been harassed relentlessly years by police and social services because he wanted to homeschool his children and refused to have them vaccinated. 

 

“They made his life hell and when they could not get him on anything they made up some historical sexual charges bull<deleted>,” the friend told Fernando in a message sent to him and read out over social media.

 

Sounds a lot like Canada truckers, but this guy went way too far.

 

Dezi Freeman was pushed to limit and faced bogus sex offence charges, says friend - www.cairnsnews.org

 

https://cairnsnews.org/

3 hours ago, impulse said:

How is that possible?  Australia has gun control...

 

But the thick plottens when the details come out:

 

The close associate described Freeman as a devout Christian who “did not want his kids indoctrinated with leftist bull<deleted>”. Media reports falsely described Freeman as a “sovereign citizen who doesn’t follow Australian laws”. Freeman has in fact represented himself in the courts on numerous occasions, including in the Supreme Court, where he challenged a two-year cancellation of his driver’s license.

 

...he had been harassed relentlessly years by police and social services because he wanted to homeschool his children and refused to have them vaccinated. 

 

“They made his life hell and when they could not get him on anything they made up some historical sexual charges bull<deleted>,” the friend told Fernando in a message sent to him and read out over social media.

 

Sounds a lot like Canada truckers, but this guy went way too far.

 

Dezi Freeman was pushed to limit and faced bogus sex offence charges, says friend - www.cairnsnews.org

 

https://cairnsnews

 

Be that as it may, still doesn’t give him the right to kill two people! 

I thought they had Aborigine trackers over there who could find anyone.

Another myth by the looks of it.

3 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

 

Should read Great Briton.  As well as 1,321 from other parts of the Empire

Winston Churchill was a great Briton.😋

8 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I thought they had Aborigine trackers over there who could find anyone.

Another myth by the looks of it.

One guy lived in the jungle and farms for 7 years on the run, Naden

Been following Oz news on this one, I had friends living in that immediate area, Mt Buffalo Rd and Buckland Valley and have spent a lot of time visiting there from 80s through to early 2000s. All the 'dense impenetrable bush' reports not entirely true, friends were involved in horse trekking, I had an enduro motorbike, tough trails but not impossible, then there were the cleared firebreaks as well.

 

Early 1980s there was already an 'alternative' community around Porepunkah/Bright, bikers, housetruckers/road gypsies, people there for the apple picking seasons and dole the rest of the year.

 

My wild, uneducated guess, he was out of the bush area that same night after the shooting, whisked away in an unlicensed 70s Holden Kingswood. If he wanted to go out as a martyr, death by police, he'd have done it by now rather than freezing in a cave.

 

Intrigued by the beliefs of these SovCits - watched one being interviewed on Oz tv this afternoon claiming the police shot two of their own officers to make an excuse to hunt down these people.

 

Watch this space. 

16 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

I thought they had Aborigine trackers over there who could find anyone.

Another myth by the looks of it.

You also probably think Crocodile Dundee was a documentary🙄

17 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Be that as it may, still doesn’t give him the right to kill two people! 

 

I didn't say that it did.  He went way too far.  But the press is trying to portray him as a "sovereign citizen" and that's apparently not the case.  There's more going on here, and for years.

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17 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

I thought they had Aborigine trackers over there who could find anyone.

Another myth by the looks of it.

Ring mick Dundee

☻☻☻😬

6 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I didn't say that it did.  He went way too far.  But the press is trying to portray him as a "sovereign citizen" and that's apparently not the case.  There's more going on here, and for years.

We have them in Germany, too. They’re called Reichsbürger here. Totally delusional idiots. I don’t know the guy, but it doesn’t matter how much there was going on. They’ll catch him now, he’ll go to jail for a really long time and his kids will grow up without him and for what, so they won’t get vaccinated? That’s the epitome of delusion in my book. 

8 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

Totally delusional idiots

 

Nonsense, Horst Mahler was an accomplished lawyer with a near genius level IQ. His knowledge of Hegel was unrivalled anywhere.

Cool.  I love it when the main-stream press delves into sovereign citizen conspiracy theory.  They come up with all sorts of whack-job sorta stuff.

On 9/2/2025 at 3:02 PM, PETERTHEEATER said:

Winston Churchill was a great Briton.😋

So said whomever wrote the history books.  

On 9/2/2025 at 3:00 PM, MalcolmB said:

I thought they had Aborigine trackers over there who could find anyone.

Another myth by the looks of it.

Needs motivation

 

just tell em he’s got a load of grog on him and they’ll find him within half an hour 

On 9/2/2025 at 11:14 AM, IvorBiggun2 said:

On 9/2/2025 at 10:56 AM, Patong2021 said:

I think that was sort of the intent when England sent their criminals

 

Should read Great Briton.

No, it should not, "Great Briton" [sic] is not a country.

16 hours ago, connda said:

So said whomever wrote the history books.  

 

No,  Sir Winston Churchill was  brilliant statesman,  the catalyst  of Great Britain's salvation and the man who kept the nazis from world domination. He had his weaknesses like any other great human, but his strengths and attributes outweighed them. Save the  Marxist revisionism for your Jeremy Corbyn rally.

23 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

Nonsense, Horst Mahler was an accomplished lawyer with a near genius level IQ. His knowledge of Hegel was unrivalled anywhere.

One can be highly educated AND delusional at the same time…

Day 11, and the funeral for one of the slain police took place today, the second funeral is next week.

 

Despite the efforts of 450 police assisted by specialist military units from the Australian army they haven't located Desi Freeman. Earlier in the week the police claimed locals were assisting Freeman, and today there's speculation he's died somewhere in the mountains / national park - in which case he/his body may not be found if it's down one of the old mine shafts. Sky News 5 September

 

The Oz news has been making comparisons with fugitive Tom Philips on the run in New Zealand for 3 years and 9 months along with his three children in coastal bushland about two hours south of Auckland. He surfaces occasionally to rob a farm or store and is believed to be getting local support. Some strange people out there.

Reward

 

Victoria Police is now offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Dezi Freeman, who is accused of killing two police officers in August.

 

"Our aim in offering this reward is that it will lead someone out there, who may not have been willing to come forward until this time, to contact police."

 

Multiple theories are being considered by police, including that Freeman is being assisted by someone, is alone in the bush, or is already dead.

 

He was last seen wearing dark green (khaki) tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses.

 

 

 

 

On 9/5/2025 at 1:55 PM, gomangosteen said:

 

 

The Oz news has been making comparisons with fugitive Tom Philips on the run in New Zealand for 3 years and 9 months along with his three children in coastal bushland about two hours south of Auckland. He surfaces occasionally to rob a farm or store and is believed to be getting local support. Some strange people out there.

 

That one was partially resolved this morning 8 September when Phillips was chased after attempting to rob a rural store at 2,30am accompanied by one of his children (girl, 12) an hour later his vehicle was road-spiked by police, he opened fire shooting (non-fatal head wound) a policeman, was then then shot dead by a second policeman. Searchers have since located the remaining two children aged 9 and 10.  

Very tragic news as the officers were just doing their jobs. 

 

This highlights on how more and more people plainly do not trust their politicians and the system. Money is being used to fund anything from the miliary to issues and situations that occur outside the respective nation's borders. Most western countries are at fault. 

 

But when it comes to deal with their own populations, many western nations and mainly the European Union are neglecting the well being and interests of their own. 

 

The west and mainly Europe is destroying itself. Trust in democracy and governance is dwindling. This is a dangerous situation and leads to people voting for extremes. The regular establishment is at fault for neglecting their own and spending the trillions as such for problems that occur or come from abroad.

 

Quite elementary but try to get all the woke leftist or right liberals to open their eyes.