‘Can’t be world internet police’: Peter Dutton backs Elon Musk on Sydney stab video

Peter Dutton has backed X Corp owner Elon Musk in his legal dispute with the online safety watchdog, declaring Australia can’t act as the ‘internet police of the world’.

Assyrian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.

Peter Dutton has backed X Corp owner Elon Musk in his legal dispute with the online safety watchdog, declaring Australia can’t act as the “internet police of the world” by banning content on social media overseas.

The Opposition Leader on Thursday branded as “silly” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant’s court bid to force X to hide video of the alleged terror stabbing of an Assyrian bishop from overseas users, saying the law did not extend beyond the nation’s borders. His remarks appear to contradict deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s comment on Thursday that she supported X “obeying the law” and backed the eSafety Commissioner “100 per cent”.

“We can’t be the internet police of the world, I know the Prime Minister’s trying that at the moment,” Mr Dutton told 2GB radio on Thursday.

“We can have a say about what images are online here in our country, we can’t influence what happens elsewhere in the world. I think it’s silly to try that.

“But if we have a situation where you’ve got a cleric being stabbed, and that’s inciting violence, the law is very clear about the ability to take that down – but I don’t think the law extends to other countries, nor should it.”

Mr Dutton said he did not condone social media platforms including Meta, the owner of Facebook, allowing the sharing of child porn on its sites.

His comments came as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel said he does not want his alleged stabbing to be used as a “weapon” to suppress freedom of speech, and he was concerned it could be hijacked to further others’ “political interest”.

Bishop Emmanuel said he was “not opposed” to the video of him being allegedly stabbed at his western Sydney church remaining on X, because the rights to freedom of speech and religion were “God-given”.

Speaking to supporters in an Anzac Day message, Bishop Emmanuel explained his reasoning for supporting the footage being available, arguing that removing it would be a threat to “human freedom and freedom of religion”.

“I do not condone any acts of terrorism or violence,” he said in the video. “It would be of great concern if people use the attack on me to serve their own political interest to control free speech.”

Lawyers representing X told the Federal Court on Wednesday the Assyrian bishop would submit an affidavit backing the tech giant’s argument that hiding the video amounted to censorship.

But legal experts said Bishop Emmanuel’s views would carry no weight in Ms Inman Grant’s court action to force X to hide the violent content.

University of Melbourne Centre for AI and Digital Ethics co-director Jeannie Paterson said the personal views of the alleged victim did not factor into the arguments that would decide the legal challenge. She said the case would come down to whether the content met the statutory standard of “class 1” material by being offensive or inciting violence.

Professor Paterson said the Online Safety Act, the legislation under which the eSafety Commissioner was operating, was “broadly drafted” and could be amended to ensure there wasn’t a “shred of doubt” it would apply to the video.

Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey agreed Bishop Emmanuel’s views held little weight in the legal considerations, saying the matter hinged on “security questions”.