- hannah richie
- BBC News, Sydney
Australia's leader has called Elon Musk an “arrogant billionaire” as tensions escalate over Mr. X's reluctance to delete footage of a church stabbing.
An Australian court on Monday ordered Musk's social media company, formerly known as Twitter, to hide a video of last week's attack in Sydney.
X previously said it would comply “pending legal challenges.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's criticism came after Musk used a meme to criticize government censorship.
On Tuesday, Albanese told ABC News that Musk “thinks he's above the law, but he also thinks he's above common sense.”
Australia's Electronic Safety Commissioner, an independent regulator, last week ordered X and other social media companies to remove the video of the stabbing at the Assyrian Church of the Good Shepherd, which police are calling a terrorist attack. , threatened with heavy fines.
X argued that the order was “not within the scope of Australian law”.
The Commissioner said it was clear that X was allowing users outside Australia to continue accessing the footage, and asked the court for an injunction.
“I think it's unusual that X is choosing not to comply and is trying to make their case,” Albanese said at a news conference.
“I want to take a moment to thank the Prime Minister for letting the people know that this platform is the only truth,” Musk wrote in a series of subsequent online posts. Another piece depicted a Wizard of Oz-style path to “freedom” leading to the X logo.
He previously personally criticized eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant, describing her as “Australia's censorship commissioner”.
Mr Albanese defended Inman-Grant, saying she was protecting Australians.
“Social media needs to be socially responsible. Mr. Musk has shown nothing,” he said.
Monday's injunction will remain in effect until close of business Wednesday, at which time a second hearing will be held.
X and the eSafety Commissioner are already involved in legal proceedings over the platform's alleged failure to provide information on how to track and remove child abuse content online.
