Social media platform X said on Saturday it would challenge in court an order from an Australian regulator demanding the company remove some posts related to the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney.
Police charged a boy, 16, with a terrorism offence on Thursday for 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 restrained by the congregation and shouting accusations that Emmanuel had insulted Islam.
X’s Global Government Affairs posted on Saturday that the Australian eSafety Commissioner had ordered it “to remove certain posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack against a Christian Bishop”.
The recent attacks in Australia are a horrific assault on free society. Our condolences go out to those who have been affected, and we stand with the Australian people in calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Following these events, the Australian eSafety…
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) April 19, 2024
The regulator demanded that X “withhold” the posts or face a daily fine of A$785,000 ($500,000), the company said, without giving details of the posts at issue.
It said, “X believes that eSafety’s order was not within the scope of Australian law and we complied with the directive pending a legal challenge.