Fugitive Sovereign Citizen Dezi Freeman Killed in Police Shootout After Seven-Month Manhunt
The extensive seven-month search for fugitive and self-proclaimed sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman reached its dramatic conclusion when police shot him dead at a remote campsite in northeast Victoria. The property where authorities finally located him, known as Tholo Farm, had been listed on Google with the curious slogan 'Cookers Welcome', leaving many Australians puzzled about the term's meaning.
The Meaning Behind 'Cooker'
According to Associate Professor Amanda Laugesen from the Australian National Dictionary Centre, 'cooker' serves as an Australianism for conspiracy theorists. While not yet officially included in dictionaries due to its relatively recent emergence, the centre maintains a draft entry categorising the term as derogatory.
'Our current definition describes a cooker as a person involved in protests against vaccine mandates, lockdowns, and various other issues perceived as infringing on personal freedom; essentially a conspiracy theorist,' Professor Laugesen explained to the Daily Mail.
The dictionary centre first identified the term during COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandate debates, recognising it as uniquely Australian. More recently, the word has become associated with sovereign citizen movements beyond just pandemic-related protests.
Reclamation and Radicalisation
While officially classified as derogatory, some experts note that certain groups have reclaimed the term. Professor Julian Droogan from Macquarie University, whose research focuses on online extremism and disinformation, observes that sovereign citizen movements particularly embrace their anti-establishment identity.
'The sovereign citizen movement has claimed this term, proud of their anti-establishment and antisocial subculture, and of being considered outside the norm - somewhat 'cooked',' Professor Droogan stated.
He noted overlaps between sovereign citizens and broader movements, including far-right extremists and white nationalists, though emphasising that not all sovereign citizens fall into these categories. These beliefs typically emerge through online subcultures on platforms like Reddit and Telegram.
Sovereign Citizen Ideology
Professor Droogan explained that the sovereign citizen movement originated as what he described as a 'tax grift', with individuals selling materials claiming to reveal secrets about avoiding taxation by arguing national governments lack sovereignty over citizens.
'Sovereign citizens question why governments have monopolies of force and why citizens must pay taxes or obey laws,' Professor Droogan elaborated. 'They revisit fundamental political philosophy questions about why governments exist and argue there is no legitimate authority.'
These individuals often claim to possess secret codes, language, and information that can liberate people from governmental control.
Dezi Freeman's Radicalisation
Victoria's network of sovereign citizens had revered Freeman as a modern-day Ned Kelly, with some predicting during the lengthy manhunt that he would meet his end in violent confrontation.
'Freeman represents an example of a radicalised sovereign citizen,' Professor Droogan observed. 'He wasn't merely claiming the government lacked sovereignty over him; he actively antagonised law enforcement.'
The academic noted that while escalation doesn't always occur, Freeman exemplified the danger when sovereign citizen ideology turns violent. Freeman was shot dead following a three-hour standoff at Mount Porcupine's base near Thologolong, close to the New South Wales border.
Police tracked him to a converted shipping container at the remote compound seven months after he killed Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson at his Porepunkah home, approximately 180 kilometres away.
Contempt for Legal Systems
Freeman, who subscribed to sovereign citizen ideology while receiving Centrelink benefits, demonstrated consistent contempt for legal institutions. Adopters of this worldview typically believe governments are illegitimate and laws don't apply to them.
Illegally filmed footage from Freeman's November 2024 court appearance in Wangaratta showed him attempting to arrest both the magistrate and police officers. This hearing represented one of several disruptive court appearances where Freeman openly displayed his disregard for the legal system.
Societal Risks of Conspiracy Movements
Professor Droogan warned against dismissing conspiracy theorists as harmless, noting that while some theories might seem amusing or trivial, they gradually erode societal trust networks.
'We might laugh about aliens building pyramids or consider cookers half-baked, but these beliefs dissolve trust in experts, authority figures, and institutions,' he cautioned. 'When society reaches a tipping point where established narratives and institutions are no longer believed, real political consequences emerge.'
The professor emphasised that while conspiracy theories have existed for years, their modern manifestations through online communities can accelerate radicalisation and undermine social cohesion in dangerous ways.
