‘This is democracy manifest!’ Internet sensation Jack Karlson dies

Jack Karlson, the Australian man behind the “Succulent Chinese Meal” meme, has passed away at the age of 82 following a battle with cancer.

A viral interaction between Karlson and Channel Seven reporter Chris Reason was captured in October 1991, outside a Chinese restaurant in central Brisbane. The then-unknown man was being arrested by Queensland Police, and loaded into a vehicle. He can then be heard proclaiming the iconic lines:

“Gentlemen. This is democracy manifest… What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”

The unremarkable news package was propelled to stardom in 2009, when an account uploaded the video to YouTube. It has since garnered millions of views across several different uploads, and achieved cult-like status in much of the country.

But the arrest video was only the tip of the iceberg. The true identity of the man in the video remained a mystery for years, with some theorising that he was Hungarian chess player Paul Charles Dozsa, famous for dine-and-dash attempts across the country.

For a long time, the video remained an item of folklore. People could quote the lines, but knew nothing about the man who spoke them. That was until he resurfaced in 2020.

Karlson made his return to the public eye in a video by Australian band The Chats. He then featured in an advertisement for Sportsbet. Merchandise went on sale, and in 2023, a book was written about him.

Slowly, information began to emerge about the man who was arrested in front of a Chinese restaurant.

A newspaper clipping referring to Karlson.Credit: Fairfax Media

“He’s an enigma, and he’s a paradox. He’s a larrikin. You just don’t meet people like that every day,” said Heath Davis, a filmmaker who is producing a documentary about Karlson, due to be released next year.

“Every time we shoot a new portion of the documentary, we discover more compelling cinematic gold,” Davis said.

The real Jack Karlson had a complicated past. He spent much of his early life living in boys’ homes and fell into a career of petty crime during the 1950s. He frequently spent time in jail, where he managed to stage multiple escapes.

During one of his stints behind bars he shared a cell with future playwright Jim McNeil, whom Karlson encouraged to start writing. McNeil is who Davis and his team were originally researching, before stumbling onto Karlson’s story.

“He’s the most interesting man that I have ever met... [I thought] this is the real guy. We have to tell his story. We have to tell this story while we can,” Davis said. “He’s a criminal and a con man… part of the charm is figuring out whether he is or isn’t legit.”

Karlson took up painting and continued looking for acting work once out of prison. He spent his last years living in rural Queensland, and died in hospital surrounded by family.

“We spoke about dying, and how he wanted to be remembered. He wanted to be vertical in the ground and immortalised,” Davis said.

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