Elon Musk has controversially suggested that an Australian senator should be jailed and that the country’s gun laws were implemented to prevent resistance against its “fascist government”. This escalation in Musk’s battle against a court order demanding the removal of video posts depicting a knife attack on an Assyrian bishop during a Sydney church service has sparked outrage among Australian lawmakers.
After the federal court directed Musk’s platform, X, to temporarily cease displaying footage of the stabbing incident, Musk accused Australia’s leaders of attempting to censor the internet, prompting widespread condemnation from parliamentarians. One senator, Jacqui Lambie, deleted her X account in protest and urged other politicians to follow suit, denouncing Musk for having “no social conscience or conscience whatsoever” and advocating for his imprisonment. Musk responded by endorsing a post from an anonymous X user who asserted that it was Lambie who “should be in jail for censoring free speech on X” and labeled her an “enemy of the people of Australia” to his 181 million followers.
A representative for Lambie, an independent senator representing the island state of Tasmania, declined to comment. Musk’s approach of targeting individuals has become a recurring tactic as he confronts governments striving to exert greater control over social media content. In Brazil, Musk has singled out a judge who ordered X to suspend certain accounts as part of an investigation into digital militias, branding him a “dictator”.
Musk’s criticism of Australia has broadened, including the promotion of a post from an anonymous but verified X user claiming that the country “disarmed all of their citizens in 1996 so that they cannot resist their fascist government”, alluding to a gun buy-back and registration program implemented following Australia’s deadliest mass shooting. Musk responded with an exclamation mark. Another anonymous, verified X account shared a screenshot of a purported text message from a “friend living in Sydney” expressing that “Evil has penetrated Australia’s government hard”. Musk’s response was “Whoa!”.
Clare O’Neill, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, has criticized social media companies for fomenting “civil division” and “social unrest” while shirking responsibility. She added that “we’re seeing megalomaniacs like Elon Musk going to court to fight for the right to show alleged terrorist content on his platform”.
A 16-year-old has been charged with a terrorism offense in connection with the church attack. Online videos show the youth, restrained by the congregation, berating the bishop for allegedly insulting Islam. X and Musk have confirmed compliance with the temporary takedown order by blocking the content for Australian users but intend to appeal the decision. On Wednesday, the footage remained accessible on X in Australia.
During a hearing to determine whether the order should become permanent, a lawyer representing the e-Safety Commissioner, the regulatory body behind the order, alleged that X may have failed to comply with the temporary directive but emphasized that “the consequences of any non-compliance are for another day”. An X lawyer described the global takedown order as involving “exorbitant jurisdiction” and revealed that the company had received a statement from the Assyrian bishop featured in the footage requesting that the video remain online.
Federal court judge Geoffrey Kennett extended the temporary takedown order until a subsequent hearing scheduled for May 10th.
