Jack Karlson, who shot to fame after ‘succulent Chinese meal’ arrest, dies aged 82 | queensland

The man who immortalized the phrase “this is democracy manifest” while starring in what has been described as the pre-eminent Australian meme, Jack Karlson, has died aged 82.

Karlson – although there are debates as to whether this was his real name or one of many aliases – was a serial prison escaper and small-time crook who shot to fame in 2009 after a news clip of his arrest at a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane’s seedy Fortitude Valley in 1991 was uploaded on to the internet.

“What is the charge? Eating a meal? “A succulent Chinese meal?” Karlson theatrically boomed as his bear-like frame resisted a string of police officers.

Chris Reason, the Channel 7 journalist who reported Karlson’s arrest 33 years ago, paid tribute to Karlson on social media site X, tweeting that “Mr Democracy Manifest has died.”

“The cultural icon, whose arrest inspired a thousand t-shirts and millions of downloads, had advanced cancer,” Reason wrote, adding that his “immortal words” would echo through generations.

Karlson is the subject of a documentary currently in production.

More to come