Freemen On The Land

There was an interesting article in the February issue of ‘Benchmark’ concerning a movement calling themselves ‘Freemen On The Land’ which, it would seem, originated in the USA (where else?) in the 1970s and came to prominence in the UK some time in 2008.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Freeman_on_the_land

Freemen on the land believe they can declare themselves independent of government jurisdiction on the grounds that all statute law is contractual, and only applicable if an individual consents to be governed by it. They believe the only "true" law is their own somewhat bizarre version of common law.
They maintain that individuals can choose to ‘opt out’ of statutory law using the concept of "lawful rebellion".

They further believe that everyone has two strands to their existence: their flesh and blood body, and their legal person, represented by their birth certificate. What they term ‘The Strawman’ is created when a birth certificate is filed, and is the entity which is subject to statutory law. Their physical self is referred to by a slightly different name, rather than John Smith it would be "John of the family Smith", and it is this persona which is the ‘Freeman’ and that this change of name entitles them to deny the jurisdiction of the courts, and so escape sanction.

However, where these contentions, being based largely on wishful thinking, have been tested in court, those proponents of the movement have met with little sympathy and no success to date.

Gavin Kaylhem, of Grimsby, received a 30-day sentence for willfully refusing to pay his council tax. He had claimed he had no contractual obligation to pay under Common Law because he was a “freeman”.

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Freeman-refused-pay-council/story-14114588-detail/story.html

Norfolk odd-job man Mark Bond, AKA ‘Mark of the Family Bond’, was arrested for non-payment of council tax in 2010

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/norfolk_tax_dodger_arrested_after_writing_to_queen_1_745681

Despite handing police a notice of intent stating that he was no longer a UK citizen, and his pseudo-legal wrangling, he was handed a suspended three-month jail sentence on condition that he pay £20 a week off the debt.

It’s not just the UK either, in Ireland Bobby Oliver Sludds or Bobby of the family Sludds as he referred to himself, failed to escape a series of motoring fines and convictions for driving without insurance last September.

http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/bobby-of-the-family-sludds-may-be-jailed-2878029.html

The movement has its own website and forum

http://www.fmotl.com/

which advises people how to oppose such things as Council Tax demands and fixed penalty notices, and suggests that by following the tenants of the Freedom on the Land movement you will be successful, which is not only self-delusional but encourages people to oppose the law and the jurisdiction of the courts.
Despite what these people, including David Icke (yes it's him again) might think, changing your name is not a legal loophole entitling you to opt-out of what they call ‘The Grand Deception’ and give you freedom from what they consider to be police intimidation and harassment, the law courts and ‘those official-looking brown envelopes’!

I look forward to having one of these ‘freemen’ in court; it should prove an interesting diversion.