This adorable pug, Buddha, knows how to do a Nazi salute. (Yes, you read that correctly).
And now, the man responsible for teaching him, has been found guilty of a hate crime.
Scotland’s Mark Meechan, 30, taught his girlfriend’s pug to raise his paw in response to statements like “gas the Jews” and “Heil Hitler.”
Meechan posted videos of the dog performing the trick on his YouTube channel, Count Dankula. (Yes, you also read that correctly.) The original video, posted in September 2016, drew more than 3 million views before it was removed for violating the site’s hate speech policy.
Meechan insisted the trick was a joke, and that he trained the dog to annoy his girlfriend. “My girlfriend is always ranting and raving about how cute and adorable her wee dog is, so I thought I would turn him into the least cute thing I could think of, which is a Nazi,” he said.
Meechan was convicted on Tuesday. (He’s had some high-profile supporters, including comedian Ricky Gervais, who tweeted, “If you don’t believe in a person’s right to say things that you might find “grossly offensive”, then you don’t believe in Freedom of Speech”)
He’s currently out on bail, awaiting sentencing next month. Let’s hope he uses the time to teach poor Buddha how to hug.
