Man arrested over video of pug's 'Nazi salute'
Markus Meechan facing hate crime charges after online footage of dog is viewed nearly a million times
A 28-year-old man has been arrested over an online video that allegedly shows a pug replicating a Nazi salute when it hears the phrase "sieg heil".
Markus Meechan, from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, was held on 28 April and released on bail from Airdrie Sheriff Court the next morning. The arrest has only recently come to light. He now faces hate crime charges.
Detective Inspector David Cockburn, from Lanarkshire CID, said: "There is no place for hate crime in Scotland.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He added: "This arrest should serve as a warning to anyone posting such material online, or in any other capacity, that such views will not be tolerated."
The video, which was viewed nearly a million times, reportedly shows the dog lifting its paw in a salute while a speech by Adolf Hitler plays in the background. The pug belongs to Meechan's girlfriend.
Meechan last month apologised to the Jewish community for the footage, which he said was "just shock comedy", according to the Daily Mail.
"I am not a racist at all, anybody who knows me could tell you that. I'm freaked out because everyone's going to actually think that I hate Jews now and I don't at all. I'm kind of panicked about it," he said.
He made the video to irritate his girlfriend and "give my friends something to laugh at", he said.
"I am so sorry to the Jewish community for any offence I have caused them. This was never my intention and I apologise," he added.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published