Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has declined to remove a video that Axel Rudakubana viewed moments before he committed the murder of three young children, despite repeated appeals from authorities in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The Australian eSafety regulator expressed deep concern on Friday, noting that the video—which depicts the violent stabbing of a bishop in Sydney last April—was seen by the perpetrator on X, even though a request to take the content down had been made months prior to the tragic incident in Southport last summer.
In the immediate aftermath of the Australian attack, several tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Snap, and TikTok, promptly cooperated with eSafety to ensure the video could not be accessed on their platforms. X Corp, however, opted not to remove the footage.
The video of the bishop’s stabbing had circulated online since April, but X only restricted access within Australia, allowing users in other regions, including those using VPNs, to still view the disturbing content.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced this week that the government was reaching out to X directly to demand the removal of the video. She emphasized in the House of Commons that companies should not profit from hosting content that endangers children’s lives.
Rudakubana, 18, recently received a life sentence with a minimum of 52 years in prison for the brutal murders at a dance class themed around Taylor Swift in Southport. In the wake of the killings, Musk has tweeted multiple times, accusing UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of prioritizing mosques over British girls. He also shared tweets from far-right figure Tommy Robinson, which alleged that “Muslims run through the streets unchallenged by police, attacking any non-Muslim.” These comments have drawn accusations that Musk was inciting tensions leading to riots in various British towns last summer.
Despite sharing an article about the Southport murders and stating “never forget,” Musk has not taken action to have the video removed, and it remains accessible on X as of Friday afternoon.
Attempts to reach X for an explanation regarding the video’s continued presence on the platform went unanswered. A court hearing revealed that a Lenovo tablet found in Rudakubana’s residence had all browser history deleted except for one search on the day of the attack. Just six minutes before he was to carry out the murders, he searched X for “mar mari emmanuel stabbing.” Police investigations revealed this search linked back to posts containing footage of the earlier Sydney incident.
Prosecutors laid out Rudakubana’s online identities, including his X account, which, as of Friday, had not been disabled. The Australian regulator had sought legal action to compel X to comply with an order to remove the video issued in April, a move that sparked debate in the country over the balance between free speech and the protection of social media users from harmful content.
Musk criticized the regulator’s actions, claiming an effort to censor the internet. This led to significant backlash from Australian political figures, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who expressed distress over X’s resistance to removing the video and criticized Musk’s remarks.
A subsequent court ruling determined that X had taken “reasonable steps” to limit the video’s distribution in Australia, opting not to extend an injunction against its showing. This case was viewed as a potential precedent for the application of local regulations on a global stage. The eSafety commissioner eventually decided to drop its legal action in June while awaiting a review of Australia’s online safety laws.
photo credit: www.ft.com
