AUSTRALIA—A political activist in Australia, who has been planning events on Facebook to protest the lock downs permitted by the country’s government, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, filmed authorities entering his residence with a warrant to put him under arrest on Thursday, September 3.
James Bartolo, a 27-year old former bodybuilder, who lives in Melbourne, used his mobile phone to film two detectives and two uniformed police officers approaching his front door with a warrant, asking him to step outside, so they can speak to him.
Bartolo, who had apparently just come out of the restroom, stepped outside, overlooking the authorities from his second floor balcony, as they asked him several times to open the door. When he refused, and told them they were trespassing, they said they had a warrant to enter the premises.
Bartolo asked the authorities several times why he has to open the door, warning them that if they come into his residence, and break anything, they will be prosecuted and charged with trespassing.
After several minutes of repeated requests, the police began to forcibly enter, using a battering ram, and Bartolo hurried downstairs, as they came through the door, arresting him right away.
According to the authorities, he’s being suspected of incitement, which he denied, claiming that after he planned to move forward with the protests, he changed his mind, and told his followers not to attend them.
After he was arrested, all of his computers and phones were confiscated. He ended up getting out on bail later that day and is expected to appear in court on May 25, 2021.
Bartolo who is considered a conspiracy theorist by some, runs a Facebook group called “Conscious Truth Network,” where him and his followers push several different theories they have on various political and cultural issues.
