> That's only true for the US. He isn't being asked to talk to US police, he's being asked to talk to Swedish or British police. In both those countries the population have little to fear from the police.
This isn't true at all. The specifics of American law are unique, but the general ideas apply everywhere. The idea that you shouldn't talk to the police is much older than the recent rise in police brutality in America. The 5th amendment was originally a response to overreach by the British government.
> And it takes a special kind of idiot to run from the police, skip bail, and hide in a cupboard for years.
Why does that make him an idiot? It is the smart play if you think you won't get treated fairly in court, which is obviously what he believes. You might think he is wrong, but that doesn't make him an idiot.