X defends videos uploaded on Australian bishop's stabbing

San Fransico: After posts showing a bishop in Australia being stabbed during a sermon appeared on X, the Musk-owned social media platform defended it as “part of public discussion” and rejected the nation’s regulator’s order to take down the content, Reuters reported.

X said in an overnight post through its “global government affairs” account that the video taken by an innocent bystander should not have been banned under the Australian law. The post reminded that Australian law permits content that can be reasonably considered as part of public discussion or debate.

X’s statement on the platform reads, “The content within the posts does not encourage or provoke violence.”

An Australian lawmaker had claimed that police have concerns that the footage of the horrible stabbing incident would be used to encourage people to join terrorist groups.

After the e-Safety Commissioner ordered to take down the posts globally X to stop Australians from seeing it, X challenged the order on the grounds of “exorbitant jurisdiction”. However, a court issued an interim order this week, upholding the direction of taking down the posts until a hearing on May 10.

The takedown order had incited a public exchange between Elon Musk and Australian officials, including the nation’s prime minister and a senator. Musk suggested that the senator must be jailed.

Musk shared a series of posts by a user who described the takedown order by the Australian administration as part of a World Economic Forum plot to impose e-safety rules on the world. Musk wrote “Accurate Thread” in his post.

So far, the e-Safety Commissioner hasn’t commented.

The issue originated after an Assyrian bishop in Sydney was stabbed, and a 16-year-old boy was charged with offences of terrorism on April 15, authorities informed. Following the incident, police conducted raids this week and charged five associates of the accused, also teenagers, with terrorism offences such as possessing extremist material.