Yahoo News Nazi pug YouTube prankster feuds with Father Ted creator over show’s Nazi scene
A YouTube prankster who was convicted over a video where he trained his pug to do a Nazi salute has clashed with the creator of Father Ted.
Mark Meechan – also known as ‘Count Dankula’ – was convicted last week of sending ‘grossly offensive’ messages at Airdrie Sheriff Court, and is awaiting sentencing.
Meechan’s conviction as divided many – with some saying the conviction represents an attack on free speech.
Others, such as Father Ted and Black Books creator Graham Linehan, described Meechan as ‘alt right’, and said the conviction should stand because Meechan’s videos were not comedy.
Meechan responded by drawing attention to a scene in which Father Ted appears to impersonate Hitler, and is shown surrounded by Nazi memorabilia.
Meechan was arrested in April 2017 after footage of his girlfriend’s pug appearing to respond to Nazi slogans such as ‘gas the Jews’ went viral.
In a case that attracted widespread attention, Meechan was found guilty on Tuesday at Airdrie Sheriff Court of a charge under the Communications Act 2003.
“Dehumanization is extremely important, but it must be done within the confines of lulz.” pic.twitter.com/w14L09h6Zu
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) March 27, 2018
Sheriff Derek O’Carroll dubbed the video “grossly offensive” and said he did not believe Meechan’s defence that he had made it only to annoy his girlfriend.
Linehan said of Meechan and his association with the alt-right, ‘This is what they do, sneak fascism and hatred in under the guise of irony But also dangerous is the alt-right telling lonely young men that they’re comedy geniuses by finding ways of saying ‘gas the Jews’ repeatedly.’
Lazy, unfunny people will always take the lowest-hanging fruit because it's the only fruit they can reach. A bunch of these morons have gathered together online and convinced each other they're Chris Morris.
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) March 23, 2018
Count Dipshit was not born funny, and he doesn't have any interest in craft. He only wants to make a few fellow edgelords chuckle. "Gas the Jews" as a punchline is not just scummy, it's hack.
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) March 23, 2018
The 30-year-old has since appeared on right-wing conspiracy site Infowars, and with English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.
You look like you walked into something pretty hard yourself. https://t.co/N1SrHPVoVQ
— Count Dankula (@CountDankulaTV) March 21, 2018
Meechan said, ‘The guy who wrote Father Ted constantly screeches on Twitter about how me making Nazi jokes means I am a Nazi. It seems he has forgotten his own history.’
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