The social media platform owned by tech giant Elon Musk and now known as X is celebrating the decision of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to drop a case relating to an assault on a Christian bishop earlier this year.
“My Prophet”: Religiously Motivated Attacks on Christian Bishops
As previously reported by The Blaze News, in April, 53-year-old Assyrian Orthodox Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was live-streaming a service at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley when a young man suddenly ran up to the altar and stabbed Bishop Emmanuel and Father Isaac Reuel.
Bishop Emanuel has previously criticised Islam and the suspected attacker, a 16-year-old boy, appears to have been motivated by Islamic extremism.
“if [Bishop Emmanuel] “If he wasn’t involved in my religion, if he wasn’t talking about my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here. … If he was just talking about his religion, I wouldn’t have come here,” the suspect said during the attack, according to livestream footage.
The bishop lost an eye in the violent stabbing but has since forgiven his attacker and called for him to convert to Christianity: “To this young man who committed this act about two weeks ago, I say: You are my son and you will always be my son. I will always pray for you and wish you nothing but happiness. I pray that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, will enlighten your heart, your soul and your whole being and help you to realize that there is only one God in heaven, and that God is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
‘Freedom of speech is under threat everywhere’: X refuses to censor video
Thanks to the wonders of social media, video of the brutal attack quickly spread around the world, much to the embarrassment of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, a thoughtful American former tech giant who called on X to remove the video to “protect Australians from exposure” to “this most extreme and unjustified violent content.”
The platform initially partially complied, including by censoring it within Australia, but when Grant and other Australian officials called for the platform to be reined in around the world, X stood firm.
“While X respects the right of countries to enforce the law within their jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate the content that X’s users can view globally…. Global takedown orders run counter to the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere,” X’s global government affairs team said in a statement.
Grant has filed suit in the Federal Court of Australia, with a hearing scheduled for late June, but the case appears set to fail after a judge dismissed Grant’s appeal. Injunction He protested against the video as the legal process continued.
‘Welcome news’: Commissioner withdraws, drops lawsuit
Grant announced on Wednesday that he would drop the federal lawsuit entirely and focus on a separate case against Mr X. “The sole purpose and focus of issuing the takedown notice was to prevent the spread of this extremely violent footage which could incite further violence and cause further harm to the Australian community. I support the decisions of the investigators and eSafety,” he said in a lengthy statement. statement.
“He blew a dog whistle to 181 million users around the world, which resulted in the personal information of my family, including my three children, being exposed.”
She also maintained that censoring the video was the right decision, praising platforms like Meta, Reddit, and TikTok for doing so, and expressed disappointment that Company X did not comply. “We therefore naturally expected Company X to act in accordance with these publicly stated policies and practices when we asked them to remove the extremely graphic video of the attack,” the statement continued.
She suggested the decision may have also stemmed from safety concerns. Assert During the interview, she said Elon Musk’s recent comments on the issue have put her and her family at risk.
“He blew a dog whistle to 181 million users around the world, which resulted in death threats against me and personal information about my family, including my three children.” She said.
Musk appeared unfazed by the personal accusations and later reiterated his commitment to keeping his platform free. “Free speech is worth fighting for,” he said. Tweeted In relation to the story.
X’s global leadership team also welcomed Grant’s decision to drop the lawsuit: “We welcome the news that the eSafety Commissioner will not further pursue legal action against X seeking the global removal of content that does not violate X’s rules,” X’s global leadership team said. Global Government Relations Split.
“This case raises important questions about how legal power can be used to threaten censorship around the world, and I’m pleased to see a victory for free speech.”
X has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s Administrative Appeal Tribunal seeking clarification on whether Grant was entitled to classify the stabbing video as “Class 1” of “extreme violence material”. Grant argues that “operational certainty” would be provided if the AAT were to rule on the matter.
The AAT is due to hear the case sometime next month.
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