It seems as though the term Melburnian has become very 2019, with some Victorians now deciding they would rather be referred to as “sovereign citizens”.
What started with a woman refusing to give police details at a checkpoint has now grown into a movement that has some Victorians thinking they are beyond the law.
Victorian Police are infuriated with residents who are refusing to follow COVID-19 restrictions, referring to themselves as “sovereign citizens.”
When Victorian woman Eve Black filmed herself refusing to give police details at a checkpoint, a movement occurred. “Sovereign citizens” are the group of people who are refusing to follow coronavirus restrictions.
Victoria’s Chief Police Commissioner Shane Patton described, “we‘ve seen them at checkpoints baiting police, not providing a name and address. On at least four occasions in the last week, we’ve had to smash the windows of cars and pull people out to provide details because they weren’t adhering to the Chief Health Officer coronavirus guidelines, they weren’t providing their name and address.”
When are we going to start calling these ‘sovereign citizens’ – anti-maskers, breaking through check points, violent and spreading dangerous disinformation – a terrorist group? I thought Liberals were meant to be tough on national security?
— 💧😷Queen Victoria (@Vic_Rollison) August 4, 2020
“We don‘t want to be doing that, but people have to absolutely understand there are consequences for your actions and if you’re not doing the right thing, we will not hesitate to issue infringements, to arrest you, to detain you where it’s appropriate,” he continued.
Sovereign citizens should be locked up. Let them sovereign the shit out of incarceration.
— jansant (@Jansant) August 4, 2020
As difficult as it may be, right now the last thing we need is for people to not abide by the appropriate coronavirus restrictions. For those thinking of following in the footsteps of Eve Black, know your so-called leader was later arrested and charged.
