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Sydney bishop stabbed during service backs X’s legal case to share video of attack
- Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel did not oppose to the video being shared on social media, citing ‘freedom of speech, and freedom of religion’
- Musk has accused Australia of censorship, while Australian lawmakers have accused Musk of arrogance and a lack of social responsibility
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A Sydney bishop who was stabbed repeatedly in an alleged extremist attack blamed on a teenager has backed X Corp owner Elon Musk’s legal bid to overturn an Australian ban on sharing graphic video of the attack on social media.
A live stream of the knife attack on April 15 and subsequent social media posts quickly drew a crowd of 2,000 people to the Assyrian Orthodox church, sparking a riot in which 51 police officers were injured and 104 police vehicles were damaged.
“I do acknowledge the Australian government’s desire to have the videos removed because of their graphic nature,” Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel said in audio posted on YouTube on Wednesday.
“However, noting our God-given right to freedom of speech, and freedom of religion, I’m not opposed to the videos remaining on social media,” Emmanuel added.
Musk has accused Australia of censorship, while Australian governing and opposition lawmakers have united in accusing Musk of arrogance and a lack of social responsibility for allowing violent and divisive posts.
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