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Mark Meechan

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Markus Meechan
Meechan in an interview in December 2017
Personal information
Born
Markus Meechan

(1987-10-17) 17 October 1987 (age 36)[1][2]
Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
NationalityScottish
Occupation(s)YouTuber, political activist
SpouseSuzanne Kelly (m. 2019)[3]
YouTube information
Also known asCount Dankula
Channels
Years active2015–present
Subscribers614,000 (Count Dankula)
119,000 (Count Dankula 2)
12,000 (Count Dankula Streams) - as of 19 October 2019[4]
Total views70.9 million (Count Dankula)
4.5 million (Count Dankula 2)
149,000 (Count Dankula Streams) - as of 19 October 2019[4]
YouTube information
Subscribers1.07 million Edit this at Wikidata
(March 2024)
100,000 subscribers2018
Last updated: 19 October 2019

Markus Meechan (born 17 October 1987)[2][1] is a Scottish YouTuber and former European Parliament candidate.[5][6] Known online as Count Dankula, he received press coverage when he posted a satirical video of a dog he'd taught to raise its paw in the manner of a Nazi salute, and to react when asked "do you wanna gas the Jews?"[7][8][9][10] Meechan was subsequently arrested and later convicted following a trial of being "grossly offensive" under the Communications Act 2003 in March 2018. This arrest generated controversy and discussions about free speech.[11][12] In April 2018, Meechan was fined £800.[13][14] Meechan has since stated he has not and will not pay the £800 fine,[15] instead donating £800 to the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity.[16]

Arrest

In April 2016, Meechan posted a video of his girlfriend's pet pug Buddha titled "M8 Yer Dugs A Nazi".[17] At the start of the video, he says: "My girlfriend is always ranting and raving about how cute and adorable her wee dog is so I thought I would turn him into the least cute thing I could think of, which is a Nazi".[8] In the video, the dog is seen raising his right paw in the manner of a Nazi salute (when prompted by the command "Sieg Heil"), watching a speech by Adolf Hitler and responding immediately when asked if he wanted to "gas the Jews".[7][8] It ends with images of Adolf Hitler and Buddha depicted with a toothbrush moustache similar to the one Hitler sported.[18][better source needed]

Meechan was subsequently arrested on suspicion of breaching the Communications Act 2003.[19] On 19 March 2018, Meechan was convicted of breaching the act by Sheriff Derek O'Carroll at Airdrie Sheriff Court.[20] The court ruled that Meechan's claim that the video was a joke intended for his girlfriend "lacked credibility" as Meechan's girlfriend did not subscribe to the YouTube channel to which the video was posted.[11][20] On 23 April 2018, Meechan was sentenced to a fine of £800, with no prison sentence.[14] Approximately 500 people gathered in London to protest for free speech when the sentence was handed out.[21]

Following Meechan's conviction, British comedians Ricky Gervais and David Baddiel had made comments supporting Meechan.[11][19][22][23] Others who opposed the prosecution of Meechan included Kenan Malik, Tim Blair, Helen Dale, Douglas Murray, Tom Walker, Shappi Khorsandi and Stephen Fry.[30] Swedish YouTube comedian PewDiePie also supported Meechan.[31] Index on Censorship CEO Jodie Ginsberg stated that the right to free expression must include the right to offend, "otherwise the freedom is meaningless".[14]

Graham Linehan, creator of the sitcom Father Ted, condemned Meechan, who responded by saying that Linehan's show also contained Nazi-related jokes.[32] Meechan was scrutinised for embracing support from right-wing figures Alex Jones and Tommy Robinson, to which he replied: "Imagine totally abandoning protecting human rights, just because someone you don't like is defending them too. Astounding".[32] On 6 May 2018, Meechan spoke at the "Day for Freedom" rally, which was organized by Robinson, and was described as far-right by news media and observers.[33][34][35][36]

United Kingdom Independence Party Member of the European Parliament for Scotland David Coburn released a two-page statement condemning the ruling as "an embarrassment".[37] Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, brought up Meechan's case in the House of Commons and said: "Can we have a debate about freedom of speech in this country – something this country has long held dear and is in danger of throwing away needlessly?"[38]

Despite public attention, Sheriff O'Carroll noted that there were only "very limited" submission from the defence and the prosecution on the matter of the law as it regards freedom of expression and that because of this the trial was "concerned, ultimately, only with the narrow fact-based question of whether the Crown has proved beyond reasonable doubt that your using a public communications network on one day to post the video onto your video channel, constituted an offence contrary to section 127(1)(a) of the Communications Act 2003"[39] and that the ruling sets no precedent.[20]

Meechan started a GoFundMe campaign on 24 April 2018 to raise £100,000 for an appeal and reached his goal as of 25 April.[40] In August 2018, Meechan announced that his request for an appeal had been denied by a member of the Sheriff Appeal Court, who also accused Meechan's lawyer of contempt. The letter stated that the appeal was "not arguable" due to the nature of the "deeply unpleasant offence". Meechan stated that he plans to contest the matter with the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.[41] Meechan's lawyer Dorothy Bain subsequently petitioned the High Court of Justiciary to hear the case. Senior judge Lord Carloway opined that the High Court did not have the power to grant an appeal denied by the Sheriff Court.[42]

It was reported in March 2019 that £800 had been seized from Meechan's bank account under an arrestment order.[43] Before the money was seized, Meechan was sent a letter by a Fines Enforcement Officer on February 19, 2019; Meechan would make a video 2 days later ridiculing the letter. In the video, Meechan would also discuss minor details of both the trial and his arrest, such as how the police arrested him out of their own accord and how the police informed the local press of the arrest before hand. He also claims he was kept in a jail cell for a day before the court hearing, that he was denied a legal aide despite being unemployed and unable to pay his legal fees, and that his girlfriend was forced to stand as a witness in order to avoid arrest, where the prosecutor “basically called her stupid for an hour” [44]


Politics

On 16 June 2018, Meechan announced that he had joined UKIP along with fellow YouTubers Carl Benjamin and Paul Joseph Watson in what Watson describes as an attempted "soft coup".[45][46][47] BBC Scotland planned to feature Meechan in a 2019 debate program called The Collective and had him film two episodes. However, the network announced that these episodes would not be aired after facing backlash over this decision.[48]

In April 2019, Meechan said he intended to stand for MEP on behalf of UKIP in the upcoming 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom.[49][50] He was named fourth on UKIP's list in Scotland but was not elected,[51] after UKIP won only 1.8% of the vote in Scotland.

See also

Wikinews has related news:

References

  1. ^ a b Meechan, Mark [@CountDankulaTV] (17 October 2018). "It's My Birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved May 16, 2019 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Evans, Sophie (20 March 2018). "Man who taught dog Nazi salute found guilty of hate crime"". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  3. ^ https://twitter.com/SUEHULK/status/1140345590150246400
  4. ^ a b "About Count Dankula". YouTube.
  5. ^ Miller, Graham (29 July 2017). "Coatbridge man who taught his girlfriend's dog to do a Nazi salute faces court". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  6. ^ Cramb, Auslan (20 March 2018). "YouTube user convicted of hate crime over pet dog's 'Nazi salutes'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b Jr, Cleve R. Wootson (2017-09-12). "This video showed a Nazi-saluting dog. Was posting it on YouTube a hate crime?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  8. ^ a b c "Hate crime trial of YouTube user over video of dog 'taught to do Nazi salute'". The Telegraph. 12 September 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  9. ^ Norton, Oliver (20 April 2016). "Shocking video shows man training 'Hitler dog' to perform a Nazi salute". Mirror Online. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Video of man teaching dog Nazi salute meets outrage". Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  11. ^ a b c "Man guilty of hate crime over 'Nazi pug'". BBC News. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Man convicted of hate crime for video of dog giving Nazi salute". NY Daily News. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  13. ^ "YouTuber Count Dankula could face year in jail for Nazi dog video". Newshub. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  14. ^ a b c "Man who filmed girlfriend's dog giving Nazi salutes fined £800". The Independent. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Young Independence 2018 - Count Dankula". YouTube. 15 November 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ "Nazi dog Youtuber donates court fine to charity". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  17. ^ M8 Yer Dugs A Nazi. Count Dankula. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Griffith, Connor (2018-04-20). "Offensive jokes becoming criminal? Count Dankula's conviction". Keep Calm and Talk Law. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  19. ^ a b "YouTuber found guilty of hate crime for teaching pet pug 'Nazi salute'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  20. ^ a b c "PF v Mark Meechan - Judgments & Sentences - Judiciary of Scotland". www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  21. ^ Williams, Martin (2018-04-23). "Row over police filming London protest over Scots 'Nazi dog' creator conviction". The Sunday Herald. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  22. ^ Malik, Kenan (25 March 2018). "The 'Nazi pug': giving offence is inevitable and often necessary in a plural society - Kenan Malik". The Guardian.
  23. ^ "YouTuber Count Dankula found guilty of hate speech for 'Nazi salute' pug video". 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  24. ^ Kenan Malik (2018-03-25). "The 'Nazi pug': giving offence is inevitable and often necessary in a plural society". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  25. ^ Dale, Helen; Hobbs, Shazia (2018-04-27). "Why We Marched to Defend Free Speech in the UK". Quillette. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  26. ^ Murray, Douglas (2018-04-23). "The Prosecution of Count Dankula". National Review. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  27. ^ Shappi Khorsandi (2018-03-23). "The conviction of Count Dankula sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of speech". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  28. ^ "Jonathan Pie Defends YouTuber Convicted for Nazi Pug Video". Yahoo News. 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  29. ^ Blair, Tim (2018-04-26). "From being fined to being very fine indeed". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  30. ^ [24][25][26][27][28][29]
  31. ^ Guess I'm going to jail... 📰 PEW NEWS📰. PewDiePie. March 24, 2018. Event occurs at 8:18. Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ a b Williams, Martin (27 March 2018). "How 'Nazi dog' creator Mark Meechan clashed with Father Ted writer". Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  33. ^ Bailey, Luke (2018-05-08). "Tommy Robinson's "Day For Freedom" rally was about promoting far right ideology, not free speech". i. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  34. ^ Grafton-Green, Patrick (6 May 2018). "Scuffles break out as thousands descend on London for far-right rally". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  35. ^ Wright, Mic (7 May 2018). "A snowflake crowd at the 'Day for Freedom' protest". GQ UK. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  36. ^ Strudwick, Patrick (11 May 2018). "The Drag Queen Who Sang At A Far-Right Rally Says Inciting Hatred Shouldn't Be A Crime". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  37. ^ "Scots 'Nazi pug' YouTuber gets backing from UKIP MEP David Coburn". The Scottish Sun. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  38. ^ Coulter, Martin (22 March 2018). "Yorkshire MP Philip Davies backs Ricky Gervais in freedom of speech row after YouTuber Count Dankula found guilty of making 'highly offensive' video". Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  39. ^ "Communications Act 2003". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  40. ^ Coulter, Martin (2018-04-26). "Count Dankula GoFundMe: 'Nazi pug' man Mark Meechan raises £100,000 in bid to appeal court conviction". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  41. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (2018-08-08). "Count Dankula: Man who taught pug to do Nazi salute has appeal refused". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  42. ^ "Supreme Court appeal blocked for man in Pug Nazi salute case". BBC. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  43. ^ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20190323/281994673832412
  44. ^ Meechan, Mark (February 19, 2019). "The Crown Cometh". YouTube. Retrieved November 7, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  45. ^ Count Dankula (16 June 2018). "UKIP Needs You" – via YouTube.
  46. ^ Sommer, Will (26 June 2018). "Far-Right YouTube Stars Plan Takeover of UKIP". The Daily Beast.
  47. ^ Walker, Peter (29 June 2018). "Ukip's new guard: web agitators threaten to swamp struggling party". The Guardian.
  48. ^ Baynes, Chris (2019-03-05). "Man who taught girlfriend's pet pug to perform Nazi salute dropped from BBC series after backlash". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  49. ^ Macdonald, Stuart (April 10, 2019). "'Nazi pug' YouTuber 'Count Dankula' says he's standing for Ukip in Euro election". Daily Mirror. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  50. ^ Wharton, Jane (April 11, 2019). "Man who trained dog to give Nazi salute says he'll stand for UKIP in Europe elections". Metro. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  51. ^ "Scotland's European election candidate lists in full". Holyrood. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
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