MELBOURNE, Australia – Following a violent attack in an Assyrian Orthodox church in Sydney, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has thrown his support behind Elon Musk’s legal efforts to overturn an Australian ban on sharing graphic video footage of the incident on social media. The attack, which took place on April 15, resulted in a riot that left 51 police officers injured and 104 police vehicles damaged due to social media posts drawing a crowd of 2,000.
Despite acknowledging the graphic nature of the videos, Bishop Emmanuel emphasized the importance of freedom of speech and religion in deciding to keep the videos on social media. Musk has been vocal in accusing Australia of censorship, while lawmakers in Australia have criticized Musk for allowing violent and divisive content on his platform.
Law enforcement announced that five teenagers allegedly linked to a violent extremist ideology have been charged in connection to the attack on Bishop Emmanuel. The court proceedings involve both criminal prosecution of the accused perpetrators as well as a civil court action focusing on the potential harm caused by the dissemination of the attack video on social media.
The teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, were arrested as part of a Joint Counter-Terrorism Team operation. The suspects are believed to be part of a larger network that includes the individual responsible for the attack on Bishop Emmanuel and a priest, who both sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the incident.
Despite orders from the Australian regulator to remove the video, X Corp. has contested the decision, citing concerns about censorship. Other social media companies have complied with similar orders from the eSafety Commission, which aims to protect users online.
Bishop Emmanuel, who immigrated to Australia from Iraq as a child, has urged for calm and no retaliation in the aftermath of the attack. The teenagers allegedly linked to the attacker appeared in court to face charges related to conspiracy to engage in terrorism and possession of violent extremist material.
In response to the incident, law enforcement conducted multiple raids across Sydney and Goulburn, resulting in several arrests related to the extremist ideology allegedly motivating the attack on Bishop Emmanuel. Despite these troubling events, there is no perceived threat to the upcoming Anzac Day celebrations in Australia, a day of remembrance for the nation’s war dead.