Australian judge extends ban on X sharing video of Sydney bishop’s stabbing

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge has extended a ban on social media platform X allowing videos of the stabbing of a Sydney bishop in his church last month after government lawyers condemned the company’s free speech argument for keeping the graphic images circulating. The April 15 attack led to terrorism-related charges for the alleged attacker, a teenager, and triggered a riot outside the church. Government lawyers say the social media platform’s free speech argument for circulating the violent images is illusory. X is alone among social media in fighting a notice from Australia’s eSafety Commission to take down the video of the attack during an Assyrian Orthodox service streamed online. A bishop and priest were injured but both survived.