Reunited over "a succulent Chinese meal" — the man who delivered the famous quote while being arrested, and one of the police officers involved, have relived the now-iconic moment at the very same Brisbane restaurant, three decades later.
On October 11, 1991, cameras captured Jack Karlson dramatically protesting his innocence as police escorted him from the China Sea Restaurant.
One of those arresting officers, Stoll Watt, met with Mr Karlson at the same eatery on Wednesday to unveil plans for a documentary about the seminal moment and Mr Karlson's troubled life.
What transpired during that arrest three decades ago became etched into Australian pop culture history.
Back in 1991, Mr Karlson had been enjoying lunch with a friend when police interrupted, swarming the eatery to arrest him.
They had believed Mr Karlson, a frequent guest at the restaurant, had been paying for lunches with stolen credit cards.
As he's escorted to a police vehicle, Mr Karlson looked at cameras capturing the incident and dramatically delivered the line, "Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest".
"Have a look at the headlock here. See that chap over there?" he went on.
Mr Karlson then shouted: "Get your hand off my penis! Get your hand off my penis! This is the bloke who got me on the penis before".
"Why did you do this to me? For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?"
Video of the rant has been watched millions of times, and the lines feature in popular memes on social media.
A case of mistaken identity
Speaking together on Wednesday, both are still surprised the incident gained the notoriety it has.
When it comes to the allegations of credit card fraud to pay for his lunches, to this day, Mr Karlson still maintains "it was a case of mistaken identity," as he told ABC News Breakfast.
Loading..."[I was] released, I wasn't the person they thought I was," he said.
And that allegation of police touching his genitals? That was "probably made up" Mr Karlson admitted.
"Jack has since said that he exaggerated that one," Mr Watt added.
When asked if he was performing for the cameras, Mr Karlson said he can't remember his motivations at the time.
"It was a great line, I think he should have gotten the academy award," Mr Watt said.
"I think he would have been a great actor … I must say Jack would have made a good detective in a different line of work."
The new documentary — The Man Who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal, set to be released in early 2025 — will explore Mr Karlson's troubled past before the arrest.
He said most of his life, since the age of seven, has been spent in institutions, homes, and prisons.
He had been a criminal and escaped from jail three times.
The ABC's Earshot recently retraced his misadventures including his first escape from Boggo Road Gaol in 1966, and when he jumped from a train on the way to his court hearing in Maryborough for breaking, entering and stealing.
But on Wednesday, there's one escape Mr Karlson said he's "pretty proud of".
It was the time he impersonated a detective and walked out of his court cell before trial, after he had been arrested in a stolen car carrying safe-breaking tools in Parramatta.
Mr Karlson has become unwell in recent years — developing prostate cancer, eye cataracts, and spinal problems — with his family launching an online fundraiser.