Howard Hemsing, a self-proclaimed activist for native rights who is facing felony charges for allegedly growing and selling marijuana, said yesterday that the Superior Court of Guam issued a bench warrant because he wasn’t attending his court hearings.

He’d rather die than answer the warrant, he said. Hemsing has protested with a megaphone outside the courthouse at many of his scheduled hearings.

“Why should I obey laws I have no rights to?” Hemsing said yesterday. “Why is foreign law in my homeland being forced down my throat?”

Since he was first charged in 2010, Hemsing has insisted that indigenous inhabitants of Guam do not have to follow the laws of GovGuam, which he calls a puppet agency and not a true government. Hemsing introduces himself as the “intermediate prime minister” of a nation that doesn’t exist, but which he calls “the Republic of the Sinahi Archipelago.”

Yesterday, Hemsing explained that although he is unwilling to respond to the warrant, he would like to meet with Superior Court of Guam Judge Michael Bordallo to discuss the allegations at a large rock along the reef line in Umatac.

Hemsing said the “temple” is a more appropriate place for the case to be settled, not in court of laws that don’t apply to him.

“If (the judge) has any pride of his culture, and he has a quest for truth … he should show up,” Hemsing said.

Hemsing is a common sight at the Legislature or public events that have any link to Chamorro culture or native rights. He has publicly opposed military presence on the island and describes Guam’s territorial status as a military occupation.