A 39-year-old man has been arrested after carrying an “offensive” placard depicting accused police killer Dezi Freeman at a March for Australia rally in Adelaide.
South Australian Police confirmed on Sept. 2 the Golden Grove man walked into Grenfell Street police station where he was arrested and interviewed.
He has been charged with displaying offensive material and offensive behaviour in a public place.
The placard showed Freeman’s face with the words “Free Man” beneath it.
The man, wearing sunglasses, shorts and draped in an Australian flag, was photographed and filmed in the crowd of Aug. 31 rally against government immigration policy, which drew about 15,000 people to Adelaide’s CBD.
Acting Police Commissioner Linda Williams called the sign “offensive, disgraceful and outrageous.”
She said its presence in the rally “would have disturbed any right-minded person, including our members who saw the sign yesterday.”
Premier Peter Malinauskas went further, calling the placard “despicable” and demanding accountability.
“What sort of protest is this if there are national socialists, that is Nazis, present and other people who are celebrating alleged cop killers?” he said.
“It’s despicable and disgusting and it’s very hard to find the words for it really.”
The man has been granted bail and is due to face Adelaide Magistrates Court on Oct. 28.
The March for Australia protests were largely aimed at public dissatisfaction towards high migration volumes into the country, which have contributed to major strains on infrastructure and services in major population centres.
Some protestors also raised concerns with social cohesion, arguing that tighter vetting processes are needed to avoid repeats of Israel-Palestine tensions that have spilled out locally.
Freeman Case Still Unfolding
The poster’s subject, 56-year-old Freeman, remains at large more than a week after allegedly killing two Victoria Police officers during a routine warrant check.
Freeman is accused of fatally shooting Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart at his Porepunkah property on Aug. 26. A third officer was injured.
Freeman then fled into the surrounding bushland, where he is believed to be drawing on his experience as a bushman to evade capture.
The manhunt has now entered its eighth day.
Victoria Police believe Freeman may be receiving assistance. Superintendent Brett Kahan said officers suspect “people know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops, [but] have chosen, for whatever reason, not to come forward.”
He warned that harbouring or helping Freeman was “an extremely serious crime.”
