MELBOURNE, Australia – Tech mogul Elon Musk finds himself at odds with the Australian government over an issue of censorship. The dispute arose when an Australian court ruled that Musk’s social media platform, X, must block users worldwide from accessing footage of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese swiftly criticized Musk, labeling him as an “arrogant billionaire” who believes he is above the law and disconnected from the public.
X Corp., previously known as Twitter before being rebranded under Musk’s ownership, made headlines last week when it announced its intention to challenge Australian directives to remove posts related to a knife attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel. Despite geoblocking the content within Australia, it remained accessible elsewhere. The eSafety Commission of Australia, a government agency focused on online safety, successfully petitioned the Federal Court in Sydney for a temporary global ban on the dissemination of the bishop’s stabbing video on X.
Justice Geoffrey Kennett presided over a hearing and ordered the suspension of the footage from all X users until a further hearing on a permanent ban later in the week. Musk responded by posting a cartoon on his personal X account, highlighting the dichotomy between “free speech” and “truth” versus “censorship” and “propaganda.” Albanese, however, remained critical of Musk’s stance, asserting that social media platforms should prioritize social responsibility over the dissemination of violent content.
The legal battle between X and Australian authorities intensified when X’s lawyer argued in court that geoblocking the content did not amount to its removal as required by Australian law. The regulatory lawyer contended that the graphic and violent nature of the video posed significant harm if allowed to circulate further. While X’s compliance with the court order remained unclear, Musk continued to express his discontent with the situation, branding the eSafety Commissioner as the “Australian censorship commissar.”
The aftermath of the church attack, exacerbated by social media posts and misinformation, led to heightened tensions in Sydney and a subsequent riot. Police efforts to contain the situation resulted in injuries to multiple officers and considerable damage to police vehicles. Despite the arrests made in connection with the riot, including a 16-year-old boy charged with terrorism offenses, the incident underscored the broader implications of online content moderation and the responsibility of tech companies in addressing the dissemination of violent material.