Bishop in Sydney sends PM message on 'freedom of speech'

Australian government criticized for deleting attack videos from social media.

April 28th 2024.

Bishop in Sydney sends PM message on 'freedom of speech'
The bishop of Sydney, who was allegedly stabbed two weeks ago, has finally returned to his pulpit and had a message to share with the prime minister. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was delivering a sermon live-streamed on April 15 at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley when he was approached by a 16-year-old who stabbed him multiple times. The incident caused quite a stir, with the Australian government trying to get the disturbing footage of the attack removed from social media. This sparked a heated battle between the government and social network X, formerly known as Twitter, and its owner, the billionaire Elon Musk.

In light of this event, Emmanuel received a warm welcome and standing ovation upon his return to the church. He spoke to the congregation yesterday, just before their Palm Sunday service, and seemed to have some criticisms for the eSafety Commissioner's actions. He defended the right of all individuals, regardless of their religion or lack thereof, to express their beliefs without fear of being threatened. He questioned the idea of censoring everything in the name of freedom of speech, stating that it goes against the principles of democracy, humanity, integrity, and morality. These are values that the Western world has fought for, including human rights, and they should not be taken lightly.

Emmanuel also expressed his gratitude to the members of the Orthodox Christian church for their kind words and support during this difficult time. However, the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, along with politicians from both sides of the aisle, are pushing for X to remove the videos of the attack. On the other hand, the social network argues that blocking the content from Australian users is enough.

During a hearing in the Federal Court, X's lawyer, Marcus Hoyne, revealed that Emmanuel had filed an affidavit stating that he believes the material should be available. This has only added fuel to the fire, with the social network blatantly defying a federal court order to take down the footage. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized Elon Musk for his actions, calling him an arrogant egotist. He accused Musk of fighting for the right to display more violent content on his platform, which only serves to divide society and cause distress to its users. In Albanese's opinion, Musk is out of touch with the values that Australian families hold dear.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old boy responsible for the attack remains in court, facing charges of committing a terrorist act. The incident has sparked a heated debate and raised questions about the role of social media in promoting violent content. It remains to be seen how this dispute between the government and X will be resolved, but for now, the bishop is back in his position, spreading his message of love, tolerance, and understanding.

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