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<\/p>\nBy David Marchese, triple j Hack<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nDaniel Jackson pictured in front of the Verdisian flag.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ ABC News\n<\/p>\n
Like many 21-year-olds, Daniel Jackson is often asked to verify his age. when trying to enter bars and clubs – but he never hands over his Australian passport to bouncers.<\/p>\n
Instead, he produces an ID with a name and a coat of arms most people have never seen.<\/p>\n
“I use my Verdisian passport all of the time,” he tells triple j Hack.<\/p>\n
“It’s never been a problem.”<\/p>\n
“Verdesian” refers to residents of the country Daniel invented as a 14-year-old – the Free Republic of Verdis.<\/p>\n
Daniel is the president of the micronation, which is sandwiched between Croatia and Serbia on a piece of disputed land on the Danube River.<\/p>\n
At just half a square kilometre in size, the territory is tiny – but still larger than Vatican City, Daniel is quick to point out.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nDaniel Jackson and Du\u0161an \u00d0ur\u0111evi\u0107 opening an office in Serbia.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ ABC News\n<\/p>\n
He declared independence in 2019, after noticing the uninhabited area, known as Pocket 3.<\/p>\n
“This piece of land was unclaimed, as neither Croatia nor Serbia wanted it,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Croatia insists this piece of land is part of Serbia, whereas Serbia considers its border to be the central line of the Danube.<\/p>\n
“That allowed the oldest active claimants under international law, which is Verdis in this case, to be rightful to the land.”<\/p>\n
Gen Z rallies behind Verdis<\/p>\n
What he admits started as a joke with his friends has now turned into Daniel’s full-time job.<\/p>\n
Apart from Daniel himself, Verdis boasts 400 “citizens” and about 2000 “e-residents”, who pay at least 25 euros per year (NZ$49) for the privilege.<\/p>\n
The Verdisian government also includes a foreign minister and an internal affairs minister, and the micronation has two offices based in the UK and Serbia, staffed by volunteers keen to grow the project.<\/p>\n
Verdis – from the Latin word for green, viridis – has its own flag and constitution, issues passports, and sells itself to a mainly Gen Z following online as a haven of humanitarianism, democratic values and protection for the environment.<\/p>\n
“There’s definitely a lot more younger people involved in Verdis,” said Daniel. “Some want to be part of building history\u2026 or maybe they would like to settle down there eventually.”<\/p>\n
Making a settlement<\/p>\n
While essential for the future of his aspirational nation, Daniel admits settling Verdis has been a challenge.<\/p>\n
While Croatia may not claim the land, it considers anyone trying to settle there to be acting illegally and breaching its border security.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Daniel and a group of supporters were forcibly removed from the land by Croatian police, and he’s since been permanently banned from Croatia.<\/p>\n
“The Croatian border police are illegally blockading Verdis,” said Daniel. “At the same time, they’re protecting Verdis from anyone else entering.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had protests outside of the Croatian embassy in London\u2026 and I think it’s only a matter of time until Croatia lifts its blockade.”<\/p>\n
‘Terra nullius’<\/p>\n
Verdis’ claim to the land rests on the legal concept of ‘terra nullius’ or ‘nobody’s land’, something used by European powers historically to justify colonising countries around the world, including Australia.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nDaniel Jackson claims to be the youngest president in the world.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ ABC News\n<\/p>\n
Asked whether he feels comfortable citing the controversial term as part of his argument, Daniel insists it’s warranted.<\/p>\n
“There’s no evidence of a settlement previously existing in Verdis,” he said. “It’s never historically been part of Croatia\u2026 and we have good relations with our locals.<\/p>\n
“Most of our citizens are from the neighbouring countries.”<\/p>\n
Currently “living in exile” in the UK, Daniel now pays himself a wage, citing crowdfunding, income from residency fees, and even a donation from cryptocurrency meme coin sales as examples of ways Verdis funds its political and diplomatic missions.<\/p>\n
Does Verdis stack up?<\/p>\n
According to University of New South Wales law professor and micronations expert Harry Hobbs, a breakaway country must meet four conditions to become a state.<\/p>\n
“You need to have a territory, you need to have a permanent population, you need a government and you need the capacity to enter relations with other governments,” he said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nHarry Hobbs is an expert in micronations.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ University of Technology Sydney\n<\/p>\n
Hobbs said Daniel could argue he’d achieved three of those conditions, but still needed a presence on the land to prove his point.<\/p>\n
“If he can settle there and can get a group of 50, 60, 100 people, that might be enough to say, ‘I’ve got a permanent population, I’m a state’.”<\/p>\n
Even then, Hobbs conceded it was unlikely to mean much.<\/p>\n
“Even though he might meet the international legal criteria for a state, the next question is ‘so what?’<\/p>\n
“You can declare yourself a state, but if other countries don’t treat you as a state, it doesn’t really help.<\/p>\n
“If there’s nothing in it for the bigger countries, they won’t recognise it.”<\/p>\n
The micronation hype<\/p>\n
It’s not known how many micronations there are in the world, but there could be several hundred.<\/p>\n
Some of those have been set up in Australia, for varied reasons, ranging from tax minimisation to social inclusion.<\/p>\n
“There’s often a sense that this is a way to draw community together,” Hobbs said. “The other large group that might be interested in doing this is sovereign citizens\u2026 who believe they can do whatever they want as an individual.”<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nThe Hutt River Province was a micronation set up in Western Australia.
\nPhoto: ABC News \/ Eliza Borrello\n<\/p>\n
While Hobbs admitted most micronations were harmless, he said issues arose when vulnerable people got caught up in the hype.<\/p>\n
“We saw, particularly during the Syrian refugee crisis, a lot of people signing up to micronations to seek asylum,” he said.<\/p>\n
“People put in a lot of money trying to save themselves and their families, to find out they had been scammed, essentially.”<\/p>\n
What is the future of Verdis?<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nThe Verdisian flag flying on a stick in what some people claim is Verdis.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ ABC\n<\/p>\n
As for the future of Verdis, President Daniel Jackson is already setting the bar high.<\/p>\n
He claims to have had positive talks with leaders of neighbouring countries and is confident Verdis “will be recognised” in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
“I think it would be very cool for us to be in Eurovision,” he jokes. “There are also a number of people who want to start sports teams.”<\/p>\n
For now, he’s proud of the community he has built around the world and remains hopeful of turning his childhood dream into a fully fledged reality.<\/p>\n
Along the way, he also said he is getting accustomed to his new public profile.<\/p>\n
“I usually get recognised a few times a week and someone wants a photo,” he said. “A couple of shopkeepers have given me free drinks, which is really nice, but it’s always good to live a bit of normal life.<\/p>\n
“I think every head of state tries to do that.”<\/p>\n