Court instructs X to remove Church Stabbing Videos from User Accessibility
The Australian online content regulator has blocked the content to Australian audiences but is pushing for X to extend the move globally.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been instructed to prevent all users from accessing violent footage related to an alleged terror attack in a Sydney church.
Musk and his company cited concerns about free speech and jurisdiction in response to orders from Australia’s internet regulator to remove footage of the April 15 incident.
The eSafety Commissioner complained to the Federal Court on Monday night that the “graphic and violent” footage had been geo-blocked only in Australia.
There are increasing calls for stricter penalties for social media platforms following the spread of distressing footage of the church attack and a mass-casualty stabbing at a Bondi shopping center just days earlier.
X stated that it complied with the removal orders but objected to their global reach, arguing that the eSafety Commissioner lacked the authority to enforce them worldwide.
The issue was brought before the Federal Court on Monday evening after the commissioner urgently requested the suppression of the footage on specific URLs.
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The fact that an Australian user was able to access the content via an overseas virtual private network indicates that it had not been completely removed, according to the commissioner’s lawyer Christopher Tran in court.
Tran noted, “They could have taken further action.”
Observers were unsure which specific video the commissioner aimed to suppress, but Tran described it as “graphic and violent,” capable of causing “irreparable harm” if left circulating.
Even on Monday evening, footage of a boy stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel repeatedly was still easily accessible on X.
The court approved an interim suppression order to shield the content from all users pending a hearing on Wednesday.
A lawyer for X requested a postponement of the hearing without a specific order due to the last-minute nature of the application and the time difference with San Francisco, where X is headquartered.
Marcus Hoyne argued that granting the order would impact international users without affecting Australia, suggesting the need for time to receive appropriate instructions.
