The clip comes from 1991 news footage in Brisbane, Australia, of Jack Karlson being arrested outside a Chinese restaurant. The video resurfaced online decades later and spread widely in the late 2000s and 2010s as viewers quoted his theatrical protest lines, especially about a succulent Chinese meal and democracy manifest. Karlson became an unlikely folk hero of meme culture, inspiring remixes, reenactments and artwork. The short declaration endured because it can be lifted out of context and applied to almost any exaggerated complaint about rules, moderation or being stopped.