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Sovereign citizen James Bartolo offers bizarre excuse as he's pulled over

An anti-lockdown activist has filmed himself firing off a bizarre rant to a police officer who pulled him over for driving while disqualified.

James Bartolo, 29, who was famously vocal about Melbourne's lengthy Covid lockdowns during the height of the pandemic, was pulled over in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, earlier this year.

But when he was asked by the policeman to provide his licence, Mr Bartolo said he didn't have one because 'I don't drive'.

He then launched into a nonsensical rant about how he wasn't required to have a licence because he 'travelled' instead of driving, before being slapped with a notice to appear in court.

James Bartolo, 29, who was famously vocal about Melbourne's lengthy Covid lockdowns during the height of the pandemic, was pulled over in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, earlier this year

James Bartolo, 29, who was famously vocal about Melbourne's lengthy Covid lockdowns during the height of the pandemic, was pulled over in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, earlier this year

In the bizarre footage, Mr Bartolo, who was behind the wheel of his car, can be heard telling the officer while he didn't have a licence, he had a presumably self-made 'certificate of competency'.

When asked for his full name, he responded 'James The Traveller', before reluctantly giving his surname which he said belonged to 'the legal fiction' who had registered the car.

'But that's not me,' Mr Bartolo said.

The policeman said he'd appeared in court just the day before where he was disqualified from driving, before issuing him another notice to appear.

'OK but I don't drive, I haven't been driving,' Mr Bartolo said.

'I didn't drive here, I travelled here.'

James Bartolo (pictured) is a former bodybuilder. He told the policeman he didn't have a driver's licence because he didn't drive but instead 'travelled'

James Bartolo (pictured) is a former bodybuilder. He told the policeman he didn't have a driver's licence because he didn't drive but instead 'travelled'

When asked how the car got here, Mr Bartolo said 'I moved it'.

'You moved it by using the controls of the car?' the officer responded.

Mr Bartolo then said 'yes' before appearing to realise he'd admitted to the crime.

He then attempted to explain how driving is a 'commercial term' and told the officer to refer to the Black's Law dictionary.

The officer then asked Mr Bartolo if he understood he had been banned from driving for a month.

'I don't drive, that's why I was trying to educate you about the technical term of it because I haven't been driving,' he replied.

The officer then said he wasn't interested in negotiating with Mr Bartolo and told him he was due to appear in court in February next year.

The Covid conspiracy theorist was banned from driving for a month. He told the officer he wasn't 'driving' in a bizarre and nonsensical rant

The Covid conspiracy theorist was banned from driving for a month. He told the officer he wasn't 'driving' in a bizarre and nonsensical rant 

The footage was shared to Twitter this week with many praising the policeman for showing such restraint.

Others called Mr Bartolo a 'clown'.

In January, Mr Bartolo created his own ID that included his weight, eye colour and email.

Instead of name the category was listed as 'known by' and 'date of arrival' replaced his date of birth.

He also said he had 'no fixed address' with his ID saying he was born in 'Sunshine, Australia'. 

The 29-year-old made headlines back in September, 2020 when he was arrested at his Melbourne home.

Four police officers broke down his door after he refused to open it, before handcuffing him on the floor of his loungeroom.

He was charged with incitement for allegedly encouraging his social-media followers to attend an anti-lockdown rally.

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Zora Stowers

Update: 2024-05-19