SYDNEY (Reuters) – Social media platform X said on Saturday it will challenge in court an Australian regulator’s order requiring the company to remove some posts relating to the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney.
Police on Thursday charged a 16-year-old boy with a terrorism offense over the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a church in the New South Wales capital on Monday. Footage from the scene showed the boy being held by the congregation as he shouted accusations that Emmanuel had insulted Islam.
X’s Global Government Affairs posted on Saturday that Australia’s eSafety commissioner had ordered it to “remove some posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack on a Christian bishop.”
The regulator has asked
It said: “X believes that eSafety’s order fell outside the scope of Australian law and we have complied with the directive pending a legal challenge.
“The eSafety Commissioner has no authority to dictate what content X users can see globally,” said X. “We will strongly challenge this illegal and dangerous approach in court.”
When asked about X’s comments, an agency spokesperson cited a statement from the eSafety Commissioner that it was working to ensure X’s compliance with Australian law.
“We are assessing whether further regulatory action is warranted,” the regulator said.
The regulator, a government body that works to remove harmful online content, sent legal letters in March to social media platforms including X, asking for information on their efforts to remove terrorist content.
The bearded Emmanuel, bishop of the Assyrian Church of Christ the Good Shepherd, is a social media star with followers around the world but also a controversial preacher. He has made harsh criticism of homosexuality, anti-COVID vaccinations, Islam and the election of US President Joe Biden.
($1 = 1.5584 Australian dollars)