Manhunt for protester who waved sign of alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman at Adelaide anti-immigration rally

A manhunt is underway for a protester who brandished a placard of fugitive Dezi Freeman during an anti-immigration rally in Adelaide.

About 15,000 people attended the March for Australia rally on Sunday, where the man was seen holding a large sign with Freeman’s photo and the words “free man”.

SA Police Acting Commissioner Linda Williams said officers were unable to locate him in the crowd at the time, but have since identified him.

After efforts to find him on Monday morning failed, police are now urging the man to come forward.

“We’d encourage the person to come to a police station and have the conversation — that would probably be the most simple way to do it,” Williams said.

“But otherwise we’ll just continue to look for him and then we’ll bring him in for an interview at some point in time when we can find him.”

Williams said the protester’s behaviour likely breached Section 7 of the Summary Offences Act 1953 (SA), which covers disorderly or offensive conduct.

Under this section, a person commits an offence if they behave in a disorderly or offensive manner in a public place.

The offence carries a maximum fine of $1250 or up to three months’ jail.

Williams described the conduct as “outrageous”.

“No doubt in my mind every reasonable person who saw that image would be absolutely disgusted by what they saw,” she said.

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas also urged the man to turn himself in.

“You’ve got to ask yourself the question, 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 on Monday.

Freeman, 56, remains on the run after allegedly shooting and killing two police officers during a search warrant at his Porepunkah property last Tuesday.