Australian court extends ban on X stabbing videos

SYDNEY, April 24 — An Australian court today extended an order that X take down videos of a Sydney bishop being stabbed, after Elon Musk, the social media platform’s boss, vowed to fight the ban.

In a brief hearing, Justice Geoffrey Kennett extended the injunction until May 10.

Australian authorities have argued that video of the attack, which spread widely on several social media platforms, fed community tensions, could encourage terrorism and was damaging to young users.

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Australia’s eSafety Commission had sought a court injunction alleging the company ignored earlier removal notices.

Musk on Tuesday insisted the content had been removed for Australian users, and accused the online watchdog of trying to enforce a global ban.

On Wednesday the video could still be viewed on X in Australia by those using widely available VPN location-masking services.

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Lawyers for the social media platform on Wednesday claimed the stabbed Assyrian bishop, Mar Mari Emmanuel, supported the videos being circulated.

“He is strongly of the view that the material should be available,” X’s legal representative Marcus Hoyne told the court.

In a Tuesday tweet, populist Australian Senator Ralph Babet suggested that he strongly disagreed with the eSafety Commissioner and posted a video of the attack.

Another hearing in the case is expected to be held on May 10. — AFP