User:Flange/Sandbox1

From RationalWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Organised Pseudolegal Commercial Argument (OPCA) schemes in the United Kingdom

Organised Pseudolegal Commercial Argument (OPCA) schemes (including sovereign citizens and freeman on the land) in the UK predominatly consist of anti-government activists who missaply English common law in the belief that Clausee 61 of Magna Carta is legally relevant (spoiler: it never really was)[1] and applies across the whole of the country (spoiler: it never did). The ideology which dates back to the 1970s in its native USA, first started to gain momentum in the UK around 2010 and boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic with antivax, anti-lockdown, COVID-19 denialism. The movement has developed its own media outlets and its own illegal schools.

Lawless rebellion[edit]

The freeman on the land movement crossed over to the UK with organisations such as the British Constitution Group and people such as the late John Harris (who later regretted joining the freeman movement), Brian Gerrish, the Anti-terrorist, Raymond St Clair (a notorious conman and man of many aliases)[2] and Dominic Lohan (aka CommonlyKnownAsDom). Freeman arguments came to UK public attention when they tried recruiting amongst the more anarchist-leaning protesters at the Occupy London protests in late 2011, and even got two articles in the Guardian.[3][4] These were promptly slapped down by actual lawyers who detailed how this was dangerous idiocy that would send you directly to jail.[5][6][7][8] Freeman ideas are now an object of amusement for the British legal profession.[9]

The pseudolegal concept of "lawful rebellion" comes from Clause 61 of the original 1215 Magna Carta which called for the election of a group of 25 barons to keep “the peace and liberties [...] granted by this charter" with the right for them to "claim immediate redress" if any of the articles were broken. This version of the charter was struck down by the Pope within a couple of months and subsequent versions did not include this clause.[1]

At an antivax/anti-lockdown protest in Parliament Square on July 19, 2021, Mark Sexton, who is of all things a retired policeman, made the extraordinary claim that unless lockdown was lifted and the vaccine rollout halted, citizens had the right to forcibly arrest MPs and ministers and establish common law courts.[10] By July 2022, he was issuing, "under common law," which is not to be confused with actual law, his own worthless arrest warrants for a number of prominent politicians, government advisors and media executives.[11]

Soverign citizens approached the bench at the Royal Courts of JusticeWikipedia in September 2021 attempting to serve the judge with notice of his Covid-related "crimes" and telling court officials they would be "going to the gallows" for genocide.[1]

Former paramedic Michael Chaves lead a sovereign citizen mob to the homes of media personalities Dr Hilary JonesWikipedia and Jeremy VineWikipedia and to a hospital in Colchester to serve notices of liability for "crimes against humanity" and threaten them with a common law Nuremberg trial (whatever the hell that might be).[1]

Glaswegian beautician Janie Walsh lead the group Magna Carta 61 in serving notices to police accusing them of genocide and seizing Edinburgh CastleWikipedia for an unemployed security guard they believe to be King Arthur and thus its "rightful owner".[1]

Where are they getting this from?[edit]

The Common Law Court[edit]

The Common Law Court is a £50-per-month subscription website run by Darral Pinch (May 1968–)[12] and Laraine Pinch (February 1973–)[13] which is a primary source of (dis)information for many in the UK sovereign citizen movement.[1] The site supplies “identity cards,” other fake legal documents, and even attempted its own cryptocurrency, to help members “reclaim [their] rights.”[1]

UK Coloumn[edit]

UK Column, a national organisation partly based in Plymouth, have included on their website items claiming Jews eat babies, and Biblical references stating they are the ancient enemy and discussion on the (antisemitic) Protocol of the Elders of Zion. It crosses the line.
—Georgina Allen, Totnes Councillor[14]

UK Column is a website edited by Brian Gerrish featuring conspiracy theories and antisemitism[14] which is a primary source of (dis)information for many in the UK sovereign citizen movement. It was launched in 2006 as self-published newspaper the Devonport Column with a readership of around 500 people in the Plymouth area to expose an elaborate scheme to lie to the people that Gerrish believed the local council were engaged in.[1] Gerrish who is a prominent figure in the British Constitution Group and the Lawful Rebellion movement has subsequently extended its reach.

Won't somebody please think of the children?[edit]

During the pandemic sovereign citizen and self-described "peace constable" Olli Riddett started advocating for illegal schools outside of mainstream education for the children of antivax/anti-lockdown parents.[15] A number of such schools have been uncovered by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)Wikipedia and are under investigation.

HOPE Sussex[edit]

Welcome to conspirituality land.

HOPE Sussex is a suspected illegal school founded by expelled British National Party (BNP) activists Matthew and Sadie Single and former theatrical nepo babyWikipedia Katy-Jo Murfin (daughter of Karl Howman)Wikipedia on an 80-acre site near Netherfield in East Sussex in 2022 as a "community centre" for antivax parents who have pulled their children out of mainstream education.[16] An investigation by The Times revealed they taught a full curriculum "through the prism of conspiracy with history lessons involving teaching that the US government knew in advance about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and discussed the possibility that stars were not real and were in fact lights." The (definitely not a) school has also published photos of its (definitely not) pupils engaged in (definitely not) combat training using crossbows and slingshots, led by (definitely not) teacher William Coleshill, an expelled former Tory councillor and founder of the antivax group Resistance GB. Coleshill has regularly harassed members of Parliament.[16] Ofsted initiated an inspection based on doubtlessly unfounded concerns, but were prevented from entering by two “obstructive and uncooperative” members of staff.[17]

Universallkidz[edit]

Universallkidz is a suspected illegal school founded following a revelation at an anti-lockdown rally by former teacher Ladan Ratcliffe (a.k.a. Ladan Universall)[18][19] in 2021 in a converted nightclub in a decrepit Victorian mansion in Stockport. The school that Ratcliffe claims is a “a parent-child community initiative” that “only operates around 11 hours a week,” was found to provide full-time education for £30 per day to 13 to 28 children between 8 and 14 years of age who have been taken out of mainstream education for supposed "homeschooling". The school was exposed in April 2024 by an investigation by The Times. Their syllabus was found to include foraging, self-defence, and natural remedies to survive and defy a supposed plot against humanity. Ofsted initiated an urgent investigation immediately following the report.[20]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Putting the UK on notice: How US legal fiction inspired aggressive action from UK anti-vaxxers by Katherine Denkinson (October 31, 2021) The Citizens
  2. "Exposing the freemen/redemption gurus" JREF
  3. Yes, defaulting on debts is an option (Jon Witterick, Guardian, 2011-11-15)
  4. We are the change: welfare, education and law at the Occupy camp ('commonly known as dom' [Dominic Lohan], Guardian, 2011-11-15)
  5. The law is not the enemy of protest but an essential tool of impartiality (Carl Gardner, Guardian, 2011-11-16)
  6. The freeman-on-the-land strategy is no magic bullet for debt problems (Legal Bizzle, Guardian, 2011-11-18)
  7. Comment is free, but woo is sacred (Legalbizzle, The Bizzle, 2011-11-15)
  8. Freemen of the dangerous nonsense (Adam Wagner, Legal Week, 2011-11-16)
  9. "Nonsense or loophole?" (Benchmark #57, February 2012, p 18) — blatantly plagiarised lovingly referenced from this very article.
  10. Anti-Lockdown Protesters Tried to Capture a Scottish Castle. They Failed. by Tim Hume (August 18, 2021) VICE News
  11. UK sovereign citizen Mark Sexton has issued fake arrest warrants "under common law" for Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid, Priti Patel, Chris Whitty, Patrick Vallance, BBC Director-General and others. A reminder that these warrants are worthless and have no basis in law. by Shayan Sardarizadeh (July 23, 2022) Twitter (Archived July 23, 2022)
  12. Darral PINCH Companies House
  13. Laraine Kathryn THOMPSON-PINCH Companies House
  14. 14.0 14.1 Concern over extreme opinions (November 20, 2023) Totnes Times
  15. Sovereign Citizens Are Trying To Set Up Their Own Anti-Vax Schools in the UK by Tim Hume (October 1, 2021) VICE News
  16. 16.0 16.1 Hope Sussex: Children’s crossbow lessons at ‘school for conspiracists’ by Tom Ball (July 17, 2023) The Times (archived July 17, 2023)
  17. CASE FILE: Hope Sussex Community (March 6, 2024) Hope Not Hate
  18. Exposed: the ‘illegal school’ teaching children conspiracy theories by Tom Ball (April 25, 2024) The Times
  19. You can’t counter Conspiracy Britain with facts by Will Lloyd (April 29, 2024) The Times
  20. Urgent probe into conspiracy theory school claims (April 26, 2024) BBC News