‘RIP Legend’: Jack Karlson Known For His ‘Democracy Manifest’ Remark Dies At 82

Jack Karlson, the man behind the popular “democracy manifest” memes, breathed his last on August 7 at the age of 82. The Australian was battling with prostate cancer for a prolonged period. He became a prominent face on social media after some footage of his arrest in 1999 went viral. The videos which first came to light in 2009 showed Karlson getting arrested outside a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane. He was reportedly charged with petty crimes and was evidently unhappy at the treatment by the police. Karlson was seen repeatedly asking them about his offence before dishing out a sarcastic comment regarding democracy.

“What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?” Jack Karson was heard saying in the widely viral clip as the officers continued to drag him to the police car. Before stepping inside the vehicle, he remarked, “Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest.” After one of the police personnel tried to headlock him, Karlson said, “I see that you know your judo well.”

As per media reports, Jack Karlson was detained after he refused to pay his dinner bill at a restaurant. The Guardian recognised him as a serial prison escapee who was earlier arrested for using a false identity.

After the video of his chaotic arrest surfaced online, Karlson’s flamboyant resistance captured the attention of many social media buffs. A lot of memes were created based on his “Democracy Manifest” dialogue while some music composers also produced remixes with it.

Following his demise, many users paid their tribute to Jack Karlson. One of them wrote on X, “Rest In Peace Jack Karlson, you bloody ripper & Aussie larrikin. Wherever you go I hope, for you, there’s unending succulent Chinese meals. RIP, you gave us laughs when we needed it most. Ta taa, and farewell!”

Another person feels Jack Karlson “deserves a statue” for being the man “who had the funniest arrest ever.” “Long live this legend,” he added.

An individual shared a picture of Jack Karlson on X and noted, “Gentlemen, this is a heartbreak manifest.”

People got to know about Jack Karlson’s health issues when his niece, Kim Edwards, put forward a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his cancer treatment. Edwards revealed last week that Karlson’s health was deteriorating. Earlier in June, Karlson reunited with one of the policemen who had arrested him in 1991. He also announced a documentary named ‘The Man Who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal’ which would tell the story of his life.