Australia's Federal Court sided with Elon Musk and his platform X over the Australian government on Monday in its case regarding the censorship of the video footage from a Sydney church terror attack.
The Australian e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant had filed an application to extend an order for the social media platform to continue blocking content surrounding the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church, per Sky News Australia.
“The application to extend the interlocutory injunction granted on 22 April 2024 (as extended on 24 April 2024) is refused,” Justice Geoffrey Kennett ordered according to court transcripts.
Grant had also threatened X Corp with around $500,000 daily fines if the content was not removed, citing the Online Safety Act of 2021.
Musk challenged the demand last month, saying that it violated free speech, and that the Australian government did not have a right to dictate the content on his platform, but was ultimately ordered to comply with the demand.
The order expired on Monday and in a pre-hearing judgement, the court determined that X would be allowed to have at least 65 instances of footage of the attack present on the platform, which has widely been called a win for Musk.
However, in a response to a post regarding the determination on X, the CEO stated: "Not trying to win anything. I just don’t think we should be suppressing Australian’s rights to free speech.
