A man who posted an online video clip in which he taught a dog to give a Nazi salute when he said “sieg heil” or “gas the Jews” has appeared in court charged with a hate crime.
Mark Meechan, 29, of Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he taught the pug the salute in an effort to annoy his girlfriend, who owned the dog.
At the beginning of the video, Mr Meechan can be heard saying: “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.”
The dog can be seen stretching out his paw in a clear attempt at the salute when given the “sieg heil” command. It is also shown watching films of Hitler giving speeches at Nazi rallies.
