America’s main export is its culture, and unfortunately for the rest of the world, that means sovereign citizens can be found everywhere. Case in point, an SC in New Zealand who recently told the cop who was pulling him over to “bugger off.”
Mark Thompson is well-known in New Zealand by folks who keep an eye on conspiracy theorists. Video of Thompson’s traffic stop was posted on Oct. 18, with a follow up video on Oct. 23. Thompson was pulled over by police in Nelson, New Zealand. What should have been a standard traffic stop turned very stupid, very quickly:
Thompson insisted on reading the police officer his rights, which included the right to remain silent, the right not to do anything and the suggestion that the officer “get in your car, and bugger off from where ever you came from.” The officer, who Thompson referred to as “James,” is then instructed that if he chooses not to bugger off, he will be charged $100 per minute by the nut job.
Thompson says he does not have a driver’s license and only offers a document full of rubbish legal terms that proves he is the lawful “Mark” and not the corporation set up in his name when he was born. Therefore he has no last name and is not bound by the laws of traveling overland.
Basically all the best hits of SC mindset. Since this is not the best tactic when dealing with law enforcement, even in the friendly and beautiful country of New Zealand, Thompson was arrested for failing to provide identification. This week, Mark brought a presentation to the Nelson Police Department, complete with props and declarations that he is neither a person nor a human being, which none of the officers seemed particularly interested in:
Thompson presents his driver’s license and passport as representations of a non-living corporate entity, which means he does have I.D., he was just being a jerk to the cop to get his point across. Seems like a charming guy, not exhausting at all.
If you’re considering taking the Sovereign Citizen route next time a cop pulls up on you, consider this; these sorts of arguments never work, because they don’t make sense and purposefully rely on bad-faith interpretations of established law. Interactions between cops and pretty much anybody can also turn deadly, like earlier this year when a driver was killed over a fake SC license plate.