THE Youtuber convicted of hate crimes after releasing a viral video in which he trains his dog to Sieg Heil and react to the phrase "gas the Jews" has managed to raise the £100,000 he needs to fight to take his 'free speech' appeal to the High Court.
Mark Meechan, 30, who was fined £800 after being found guilty at Airdrie Sheriff Court of communicating a video which was deemed to be "grossly offensive" raised his target amount 24 hours after launching a public appeal on gofundme.com.
Meechan, from Coatbridge insists his two-year-old M8 Yer Dugs A Nazi video featuring his pug Buddha, which has been viewed more than three million times, was meant as a joke to wind up his girlfriend.
The Fund The Count Dankula Appeal page has itself had over 5000 shares.
Meechan, known by his online moniker of Count Dankula, says the case raises issues about freedom of speech and he will not be paying the fine.
READ MORE: Nazi dog prankster Mark Meechan reveals he tried to get the sheriff to jail him
If the sentence sticks on appeal, he says he would give the amount to charity and post the evidence of the donation online.
In launching the appeal he said: "This conviction will be used as an example to convict other people over the things they say and the jokes they make, it sets a standard where courts will be able to willfully ignore the context and intent of a persons words and actions in order to punish them and brand them as criminals.
100k in one day. We can get started on the appeal. Once the appeal is over, I'll be turning my attention to other matters.
— Count Dankula🏴 (@CountDankulaTV) April 25, 2018
That's a nice speech restricting law you have there.
It'd be a shame if anything were to happen to it.
You should have just left me alone.
"This (£100,000) is the amount that has been quoted by my lawyer, the reason it has been quoted so high is my lawyer wishes to bring in top legal representatives to ensure that we have the highest chance of reversing the standard that this case sets, I cannot allow the two years of litigation I went through and having my life put on hold, to happen to anyone else.
"I will be 100 per cent transparent with these funds, all bills in regards to the case will be made publicly available."
And he said if there was any cash left over it would go to charity and he would again post evidence online of this.
He also said he was strongly considering setting up a fund to protect people being persecuted over their freedom of speech.
Dozens of supporters of Meechan, including former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, were at Airdrie Sheriff Court for the sentencing hearing on Monday.
Meanwhile in London, hundreds gathered at an anti-censorship march in support of Meechan organised by The Liberalists UK, who describe themselves as a "mix of centre-left (social liberal) and centre-right (classical liberal) individualists".
Sheriff Derek O'Carroll said the video was grossly offensive and that his girlfriend did not even subscribe to the video channel he posted it on.
Well wishers who offered cash praised Meechan's fight.
Simon Johansson said: "I saw and followed what has happened and I'm proud that you're striking back. You got balls to stand up for what's right not just for yourself but for others this might have/will happen to. Keep going man!"
READ MORE: Video - Row over police filming London protest over Scots 'Nazi dog' creator conviction
Kahne O'Banion from Houston, Texas said: "I am seriously considering training my Pug to Seig Heil, but this time to the UK government or better yet to ANTIFA and Anti Free Speech folks.
!I dare them to bring me to court. I think all of us with pugs should train them to do the same. Keep fighting for free speech. Offending people IS NOT A CRIME. HATE SPEECH IS NOT A CRIME. FREE SPEECH RULES."
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