Max Freedom Pollard

Max Freedom Pollard (born 1993) is an Australian author, biblical researcher, and President Emeritus of a public library in New South Wales.[1][2][3] His arrest in 2024 made national headlines, with national news reports claiming that a dispute over a Catholic confessional lead to a 10 hour armed siege with state police.[4][5][6][7]

Biblical Etymology.

In 2021 Pollard published his New Testament translation, titled Immaculata Version.[8] The back cover of Pollard’s “Immaculata Version” of the New Testament claims to be the most accurate representation of the original author’s intentions through the revision of the de-facto sentence choices instilled by the introduction of the post-medieval 15th century verse and chapter system.[8] Pollard has also published philological work on Semitic languages, including a 2024 study which claims that the “camel and needle” reference in the (internal link to parabel) are to the two Phoenician letters of the same name.[9]

Supreme Court litigation.

In NSWSC 1466, Aland Care Pty Ltd sued Pollard, seeking a non-publication order to restrain Pollard from publishing matters in dispute.[10] A permanent non-publication order was granted.[11]Details of the dispute are currently published on nsw.gov.au, as the case was later selected to become part of the less than 1% to form NSW Caselaw.[10]

2024 Arrest.

Around 10am on October 22 2024, armed tactical police attended a beachside apartment approximately 3 miles from Sydney Harbour, blockading the suburb of Coogee.[4][5] They advised the public to avoid the area as specialist officers responded.[4][12]Police stated that “just after 8.20 pm, police gained access to the unit and the man was arrested,” and that officers later “located and seized two allegedly unauthorised firearms and a ballistic vest.”[12] The incident drew extensive media coverage, with Australia’s most-watched television news channel broadcasting police claims that Pollard was in possession of an AK-47 and cobalt-60.[4][13] Pollard live-streamed the siege to his Instagram account, stating: “It’s all to cover up the fact that I caught two local police officers committing crime yesterday,” He appeared to be referencing the “seal of confession,” which ordinarily prevents police from monitoring confessionals.[5][7] He claimed: “They’re terrorising Coogee, attacking and avoiding Australia’s judiciary and the Commonwealth Government, and bragging about it” and that police had guns which were “scaring the entire community.”¹¹¹⁵[5][14]

2025 ElementOP:

In September 2025, Pollard published ElementOP, a book about Ethology.[15][16][17]

References

1. The Library (Australian Libraries Gateway, National Library of Australia). 30 Sep 2025. [[https://www.nla.gov.au/apps/libraries/?action=OrgDetails&id=344404]]
2. Meet the Committee (Friends of the Library, University of Adelaide). 5 Jun 2025. [[https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/about-the-library/friends-of-the-library/meet-the-committee]]
3. Max Freedom Moussa Pollard (Amazon Author Page). 2025. [[https://www.amazon.com/stores/Max-Freedom-Moussa-Pollard/author/B09MQKHVCJ]]
4. Pollard, Max Freedom. *New Testament: Immaculata Version*. Heritage Press, 2021. ISBN 9782045479980. [[https://www.amazon.com.au/New-Testament-Max-Freedom-Pollard/dp/2045479986]]
5. *ElementOP: Imprinting* (Amazon listing). [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FT1HX25T]]
6. *ElementOP: The Imprinting Process In Humans* (Barnes & Noble listing). [[https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elementop-max-freedom-pollard/1148396365]]
7. *ElementOP: The Imprinting Process In Humans* (Booktopia listing). [[https://www.booktopia.com.au/elementop-max-freedom-pollard/ebook/9799778708058.html]]
8. Pollard, Max. “Revisiting the ‘Camel and the Needle’: A Philological Recontextualization of Phoenician Letter Nomenclature.” Zenodo (2024). doi:10.5281/zenodo.14848051. [[https://zenodo.org/records/14848051]]
9. Theocharous, Mikala. “Police operation in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with man holed up in apartment.” 9News (22 Oct 2024). [[https://www.9news.com.au/national/randwick-police-operation-underway-in-sydney-s-eastern-suburbs/630a0df2-f635-436d-a735-90bc665d0748]]
10. NSW Police Force. “Man Charged After Eastern Beaches Police Operation” (via Mirage News, 23 Oct 2024). [[https://www.miragenews.com/man-charged-after-eastern-beaches-police-1342219/]]
11. McSweeney, Jessica. “Bizarre videos emerge from inside 10-hour eastern suburbs siege.” *The Sydney Morning Herald* (23 Oct 2024). [[https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bizarre-videos-emerge-from-inside-10-hour-eastern-suburbs-siege-20241023-p5kkkv.html]]
12. McSweeney, Jessica. “Bizarre videos emerge from inside 10-hour eastern suburbs siege.” *Brisbane Times* (23 Oct 2024). [[https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/nsw/bizarre-videos-emerge-from-inside-10-hour-eastern-suburbs-siege-20241023-p5kkkv.html]]
13. McCallum, Jake; Jackson, Tyson; Tyson, William; Cuneo, Clementine. “Accused’s strange Instagram posts during 10-hour siege.” *The Daily Telegraph* (23 Oct 2024). NewsBank. [[https://infoweb-newsbank-com.rp.nla.gov.au/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/19C66906EF2B5528]]
14. 9News Sydney (Facebook video). “Man in court over Randwick siege.” [[https://www.facebook.com/9NewsSydney/videos/man-in-court-over-randwick-siege/532909379383914/]]
15. Archived SMH article via NLA Web Archive (captured 23 Oct 2024). [[https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20241023073013/http://smh.com.au/national/nsw/bizarre-videos-emerge-from-inside-10-hour-eastern-suburbs-siege-20241023-p5kkkv.html]]
16. *Aland Care Pty Ltd v Pollard* [2023] NSWSC 1466 (30 Nov 2023). NSW Caselaw. [[https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18c17debc1b4a371dd8c0b71]]
17. *Aland Care Pty Ltd v Pollard* [2024] NSWSC 439 (19 Apr 2024). NSW Caselaw. [[https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18f04d30c82be7a98a212b14]]
18. Friends of the Library (University of Adelaide Library). [[https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/about-the-library/friends-of-the-library]]