Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of social media platform X, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are engaged in a heated dispute over the removal of posts related to a church stabbing in Sydney. The Australian court recently ordered X to block users worldwide from accessing videos of the knife attack on Assyrian Christian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel. The country’s internet watchdog, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, sought an injunction to remove the footage.
In response to the court order, Prime Minister Albanese criticized Musk, labeling him as an “arrogant billionaire” who believes he is above the law and common decency. Albanese emphasized that the eSafety Commissioner was simply doing her job to protect the interests of Australians. He argued that social media platforms should exercise social responsibility and condemned Musk for challenging the notice to remove violent content.
Musk, who acquired X (formerly known as Twitter) in 2022, expressed his intention to fight the court order. He raised concerns about the potential implications of allowing any country to censor content for all countries, as demanded by the Australian eSafety Commissioner. Musk highlighted that X had already censored the content in question for Australia and stored it solely on servers in the United States.
Australia’s government has attributed the inflammatory nature of social media posts related to the attack on Emmanuel to escalating tensions in multicultural Sydney. The country has been at the forefront of holding tech companies accountable for the content posted on their platforms through the Online Safety Act passed in 2021.
The stabbing incident occurred during a mass service at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney. Emmanuel, a prominent conservative leader, sustained head lacerations but survived the attack. Following the incident, a riot broke out outside the church, resulting in over 50 injured police officers and damage to 20 police cars. Last week, Emmanuel released a message stating that he was recovering well and had forgiven his attacker.
In a tweet, Musk shared a meme depicting X as a platform supporting free speech, while other social media platforms were portrayed as endorsing censorship and propaganda. The meme included the caption, “Don’t take my word for it, just ask the Australian PM!”
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Do you think social media platforms should have the authority to remove posts related to real-life incidents, such as the church stabbing in Sydney, or should they prioritize freedom of speech and allow all content to remain?