By Lieutenant (RO) Alexandre RODDE

"On April 1, 2024, a roadside check carried out by National Gendarmerie officers in the Nord department was shared on social media after being recorded by the vehicle's passenger. For about ten minutes, the driver and the passenger refused to comply with the check, arguing that they were “sovereign citizens” who did not submit to the authority of the French state. The gendarmes' intervention ended with the driver's window being broken as he attempted to drive away, before he was subdued and taken into custody. The intervention, which went viral with several hundred thousand views and a reprise of the slogan “I don't contract,” gives the “sovereign citizen” movement particular visibility, which requires an explanation of the movement's origins. (...)"

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