Dezi Freeman manhunt: The risks, reach and rise of the sovereign citizen movement

In Australia, the massive manhunt continues for suspected cop killer Dezi Freeman in rural Victoria.

Officers had gone to his remote property in Porepunkah with a search warrant – but were met with gunfire. Two officers died at the scene.

Hundreds of officers are looking for the so-called ‘sovereign citizen’ with a hatred of authority.

Police have also announced a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

A former magistrate apparently issued a stark warning just weeks before the shooting, about the sovereign citizen movement in the country.

He had told Four Corners that Governments are underestimating the reach and threats of these movements”.

So, how do countries deal with growing sects of anti-government conspiracy theorists? And what should New Zealand learn from the tragic events in Porepunkah?

Today on The Front Page, University of Otago associate professor Stephen Young is with us to discuss these fringe groups, and how we might deal with them in future.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

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