Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Elon Musk an 'arrogant billionaire' as tensions escalate over X's refusal to remove footage of a church stabbing in Sydney. An Australian court ordered the social media platform to hide the videos on Monday, but X has said it will comply only pending a legal challenge.
The eSafety Commissioner had threatened hefty fines if the videos of the attack at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church, classified as a terror incident by police, were not taken down. X agreed to geo-block the footage within Australia but argued against restricting access for global users.
Mr Albanese criticised Mr Musk's stance, telling ABC News the billionaire 'thinks he's above the law but also above common decency'. In response, Mr Musk posted a meme accusing the Australian government of censorship and thanked the prime minister for informing the public that X is 'the only truthful one'.
Mr Musk also attacked eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, calling her the 'Australian censorship commissar'. Mr Albanese defended her, stating she was protecting Australians and that social media firms must show social responsibility.
X has 24 hours to comply with the court injunction, with a further hearing expected shortly. The platform is already involved in separate legal proceedings with the eSafety Commissioner over its handling of child abuse material online.
