Criminal acts that left police officers dead and children isolated have prompted widespread condemnation, yet experts and law-enforcement officials say a small but vocal cohort online has celebrated the perpetrators as folk heroes.
Dezi Freeman, a 56-year-old self-styled "sovereign citizen," is accused of fatally shooting Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and wounding a third officer at his Porepunkah property in Victoria on Aug. 26 while officers executed a warrant relating to sexual-assault allegations. Freeman fled into bushland and was the subject of an extensive manhunt. In New Zealand, Tom Phillips, 38, who had spent about four years living off-grid with his children after disappearing in December 2021 amid a Family Court custody dispute, was shot and killed by police after he shot and seriously injured an officer about 30km north of Piopio in the Waitomo district. Phillips's three children were located at a remote campsite and are now in the care of New Zealand's Ministry for Children; some details of their time with their father are subject to a court suppression order.
Police and government officials in both countries have publicly rejected portrayals of the men as martyrs. Victorian officers warned that anyone who hides or assists a suspect faces serious criminal liability. "People know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops," Superintendent Brett Kahan said during the Freeman search, urging the public not to harbour a fugitive. In Wellington, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said Phillips "isn't a hero," and New Zealand's Police Minister Mark Mitchell described Phillips as "a monster," citing the poor conditions in which the children had been kept and the danger posed to them and responding officers.
Despite those statements, portions of social media and fringe online forums reacted with praise for both men, describing Freeman and Phillips as freedom fighters, survivalists or fathers protecting their children from an overbearing state. Some posts lauded off-grid living skills; others framed the men as standing up to perceived state tyranny. Experts say those reactions stem from a mix of anti-authoritarian ideology, pandemic-era distrust of government, and online echo chambers that amplify fringe narratives.
"There was a lot of anger and resentment and anxiety in their communities," said Dr. Josh Roose, a political sociologist at Deakin University, who has followed the two manhunts. Roose said prolonged pandemic restrictions in Victoria and New Zealand damaged trust in government among some groups and that people on society's margins—those who lost jobs or faced precarious work—were particularly likely to gravitate to figures who appear to reject state authority. "Anyone who positions himself as standing up to government or the authorities—even when they are using violence—will be by some small percentage of the population viewed as heroes," he said.
Dr. Liam Gillespie, a criminology lecturer at the University of Melbourne, said idolisation of people who take the law into their own hands often reflects wider narratives of persecution. "If they are experiencing or feeling a sense of persecution themselves in their lives, then they may gravitate towards other figures who seem to embody that and who seem to act upon that as well," Gillespie said. He added that celebrating such figures is not a new phenomenon in Australia, where historical bushranger folklore, notably the story of Ned Kelly, continues to shape cultural attitudes toward defiance of authority.
Experts also pointed to the role of online platforms in normalising and spreading praise for political and ideologically driven violence. Roose noted that post-pandemic online environments have increased exposure to violent content and polarised narratives, allowing small communities of like-minded users to validate one another and amplify extreme views. "We're moving towards a normalisation of that celebration of violence, and a big part of that's due to people's exposure online to acts of violence," he said.
Law-enforcement officials have warned that glorifying individuals who commit violent acts can impede investigations and, in some cases, encourage others to emulate them. Victorian police publicly appealed for cooperation with investigators and again urged the public not to assist fugitives. New Zealand authorities have focused on the welfare of the children found with Phillips, placing them into state care while some information about their circumstances remains legally suppressed.
While the numerical size of those who lionise Freeman and Phillips appears limited, analysts say the phenomenon matters because it signals broader distrust in institutions and an online culture that can amplify marginal views. Those dynamics, they warned, complicate policing and community recovery after high-profile violent incidents and underscore the continuing challenges democracies face in countering radical narratives that emerge in times of social strain.