The raw footage was missing Reason's voice-over explaining who the man was, or what the incident was about, and internet speculation attempted to resolve the mystery. Theories about the man's identity centered on Paul Charles Dozsa, a Hungarian chess player and notorious dine and dasher, [7] [8] [9] [10] but there were also serious doubts about this theory. Observers asked why the arrest was filmed from so many angles, why it was filmed at all and why the allegedly-Hungarian man did not sound Hungarian. Friends, family and acquaintances of Dozsa also stated that the man in the video was not Dozsa. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Other theories included that the man was politician John Bartlett, the video was a skit from an unidentified television show, or that the man was a real dine and dasher named Gregory John Ziegler. [16] Former Chef Fined For 54th Eating Offense". Associated Press. 2 November 1988 . Retrieved 23 March 2020.

There was no fight getting him out of the car. Nothing. It was all put on for the cameras." The drama behind the rant Taylor, Belle (28 July 2023). "The wild true story of the prison escapee who just wanted a succulent Chinese meal". PerthNow . Retrieved 4 August 2023. The Brisbane police who arrested him that day didn't know that Karlson had been a criminal and a serial prison escapee. He was also a part-time actor.He welcomed Karlson into his cell. The two men bonded over making foul-tasting alcohol in the cell's washbasin from raisins and yeast, and shared histories. Police surrounded the restaurant, corralled the waiting media (who had somehow gotten wind), and interrupted Karlson's lunch. Paul Chamberlin (3 November 1988). "Ex-Chef eats on the run again". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 23 March 2020.

Percival, Tom (12 June 2016). "Story Behind The 'Democracy Manifest' Guy Is Even Funnier Than His Video". UNILAD. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022 . Retrieved 22 March 2020.

Footer

a b c d Drevikovsky, Janek (8 March 2020). " 'This is democracy manifest': Mystery star of viral video found at last". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 19 March 2020. a b Butler, Josh (5 March 2020). "The 'Democracy Manifest' Meme Guy May Not Be Dead, According To The Chats". 10 Daily. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020 . Retrieved 22 March 2020. Pan, Alexander (6 March 2020). "The Story Behind The 'Succulent Chinese Meal' Guy Is Weirder Than That Cop's Judo". GOAT goat.com.au . Retrieved 20 March 2020. Surrounded by police, the man is amazed at being arrested, exclaiming: "Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest!" Bull, Lawrence (11 February 2022). "His 'Succulent Chinese Meal' rant became a classic meme but the arrested man has a complicated past". ABC Australia . Retrieved 9 November 2022.

He was happy to go with us. Well, as happy as you can be, to be arrested. Until he saw all the media. And that's when he just went berserk." After encouragement from Karlson, McNeil wrote a play about cellmates who brewed grog. They put it on in prison, and Karlson played a leading role.

What makes us different?

The Radio National program Earshot broadcast an hour-long biographical documentary on the incident in January 2022. [21] In June 2022, academic Dean Biron, who was one of the arresting officers accused in the "Get your hands off my penis" part of the video, wrote an article about the incident. Biron gave his version of events, such as why the police were making the arrest, stating that, contrary to other reports made, it was not considered a major case. Biron said that after the arrest, the man - who had used the Edwards alias - was held in police custody and then released on bail overnight, and disappeared until his " 15 minutes of fame" in 2020, "somehow scrubbed clean of that pesky past". [3] He was as calm as anything," former police detective Adam Firman says of the moment he arrested Karlson in the restaurant. a b " "This is democracy manifest!" - 7NEWS meets the man behind the "succulent Chinese meal" meme". YouTube. 23 May 2021 . Retrieved 7 July 2021. Wenger, Charles (8 November 2019). "The Succulent Enigma of Paul Dozsa". Level Up Chess . Retrieved 20 March 2020.

Perrie, Stewart (5 March 2020). "Aussie Band The Chats Team Up With The 'Democracy Manifest' Bloke For New Music Video". LAD Bible . Retrieved 20 March 2020. Smiedt, David (9 March 2020). "Why It's Important To Keep Eating At Asian Restaurants". GQ Magazine. Newslifemedia Pty Ltd . Retrieved 19 March 2020. Roots, Chris (27 April 2023). "Succulent Chinese deal: Democracy Manifest owner wants to meet viral star". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 17 May 2023. Democracy Manifest" (also known as " Succulent Chinese Meal", among other names) is an October 1991 Australian news segment video by reporter Chris Reason. The Guardian, in 2019, called it "perhaps the pre-eminent Australian meme of the past 10 years". [1] YouTube has several postings of the video with more than a million views each. [2]Tan, Michael (2 December 2019). "Democracy Manifest with Symphony Orchestra" . Retrieved 23 March 2020– via YouTube. The video of the rant has become so popular that a Google search for the phrase "succulent Chinese meal" now yields 10,000 more results than "delicious Chinese meal". Karlson and McNeil's friendship continued outside the prison gates and they moved into a house in Richmond together. Leedham, Nicole (4 May 1995). "Thief served up his just deserts". The Canberra Times. p.1 . Retrieved 23 March 2020.