A Scottish man is in court after posting videos of his pet dog performing what appears to be "Nazi salutes" on YouTube, according to local media.
Mark Meechan's videos, on the account 'Count Dankula', have been criticised as a hate crime, with the Ephraim Borowski, director of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC), telling the court the video was "grossly offensive".
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In the videos, his girlfriend's pug Buddha responds to statements including "gas the Jews" and "Sieg Heil", as well as raising a paw in a salute mimicking that used by Nazis, the court was told.
Meechan denies any wrongdoing and said he was just trying to annoy his girlfriend.
Mr Borowski said he had lost family members to Nazis and was "stunned" anyone would post the video.
"Material of this kind goes to normalise the anti-Semitic views that frankly we thought we had seen the last of," he told the court.
"The Holocaust is not a subject for jocular content."
The video, which has been viewed more than a million times, also prompted "abusive comments" towards SCoJeC, Mr Borowski said.
"The threat is against the Jewish community and there is an echo chamber effect with people trying to be more offensive," he told the court.
"Repeating over and over and over again in a positive and enthusiastic tone of voice to 'gas the Jews' is what this trial is all about, an offensive video and whether it is offensive or threatening."
In another video shown to the court, Meechan apologised for any offence the video had caused.
He's accused of communicating material which would cause fear and alarm, and stir up hatred on religious grounds, as well as an alternative charge of posting a video on social media which was grossly offensive because it was "anti-Semitic and racist in nature".
He could spend a year in prison if he's found guilty.
Newshub.
