The moment, now known as Democracy Manifest, became one of the most viral videos in Australia’s history, and inspired thousands of memes, musical remixes, merchandise and even an orchestral piece.
Describing his protest as “dramatic, indignant and unexpectedly articulate”, NFSA said that “Karlson’s words became shorthand for irreverent Australian humour”.
“The recording demonstrates how voice and performance can transform an everyday news event into a lasting piece of cultural folklore,” it wrote.
Jack Karlson died from prostate cancer in 2024, aged 82.
Months earlier, he had reunited with one of the policemen in the video, Stoll Watt, to announce an upcoming documentary into his obscure and eccentric life.
Although he was a convicted criminal and had reportedly broken out of jail three times, Karlson had always maintained that the 1991 incident was a case of mistaken identity.
There are two main schools of thought on this, the NFSA says – one that he had been confused for a Hungarian chess player known for dine-and-dash attempts in Australia at the time.
“They thought I was some international gangster,” he said during one interview.
The other theory is that credit card company American Express had reported him to the police for using stolen credit cards, the national archive writes, external.
