What's The Backstory Behind The 'Democracy Manifest' Guy Being Arrested? The 'Succulent Chinese Meal' Video Explained

A video of an Australian man giving a booming speech after he was interrupted and arrested by police officers in the middle of his meme is making a resurgence in 2024 after internet users learned that Jack Karlson, who identified himself as Cecil George Edwards, had died at the age of 82.

Karlson was the face of one of what internet historians have called Australia's "pre-eminent" meme, with the video of his arrest gathering millions of views since it was first posted to YouTube in 2009.

The grainy footage shows several angles of Karlson putting up a great fuss as police officers attempt to stuff him into a squad car, and delivering instantly quote-worthy lines such as Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest, and, after manhandled by an officer, "I see that you know your judo well."

But the backstory of Karlson's arrest and the ensuing meme fame he enjoyed largely in anonymity is as interesting as the video itself. Here's a look back at the crimes that led to the video airing on Australian news back in the early 1990s, and how the world finally learned about who Jack Karlson A.K.A. Mr. Democracy Manifest actually was in 2020.

What Did The 'Democracy Manifest' Video Come From?

The 'Democracy Manifest' video was originally released as part of an October 1991 news segment by celebrated Australian reporter Chris Reason at the start of his career. Almost 20 years later, raw footage from the segment was uploaded to YouTube by Russell Furman, where it gathered over 4 million views in 15 years.

The video shows a middle-aged man loudly protesting his own arrest, speaking to the cameras in a booming and affected voice. The video shows the man, who identified himself as Cecil George Edwards, swatting off police officers as they attempt to wrangle him into a police car.

Notable lines from the video include, "Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest," "Why did you do this to me, for what reason, what is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?" and "Oh, that's a nice headlock sir, oh, ah yes, I see that you know your judo well."

When Was The 'Succulent Chinese Meal' Man Identified?

Sometime in the year 2020, an Instagram meme page named @MrDemocracyManifest began posting clips of the viral video, as well as photos of a man who looked a lot like Mr. Democracy Manifest, albeit several years older. In one image, the man could be seen showing off his paintings, including a few that depicted scenes from his arrest.

A few months later, Aussie punk band The Chats managed to rope Jack Karlson in for a music video inspired by his arrest, and interviews with major news outlets followed soon after.

When Did 'Mr. Democracy Manifest' Die?

On August 7th, 2024, it was announced that Karlson had passed away at the age of 82. In response, the internet took little time to start paying tribute to him.

For the full history of the "Succulent Chinese Meal" video, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.