User:Flange/Sandbox1

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

Organised Pseudolegal Commercial Argument (OPCA) schemes (also known as 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.

Lawless rebellion[edit]

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.[2] 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.[3]

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–)[4] and Laraine Pinch (February 1973–)[5] 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[6]

UK Column is a website edited by Brian Gerrish featuring conspiracy theories and antisemitism[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[8] Ofsted initiated an inspection based on doubtlessly unfounded concerns, but were prevented from entering by two “obstructive and uncooperative” members of staff.[9]

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)[10][11] 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.[12]

References[edit]