Elon Musk is ‘arrogant billionaire’: Australian PM

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labeled Elon Musk an “arrogant billionaire” in an intensifying dispute over the social media platform X’s (formerly Twitter) reluctance to remove video content related to a church stabbing incident.

An Australian court ordered X to remove videos of last week’s attack in Sydney, which took place at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church and has been classified as a terrorist act by police. Despite this order, X initially indicated it would comply, but “pending a legal challenge,” suggesting a possible refusal to fully adhere.

Prime Minister Albanese criticized Musk and called him arrogant billionaire for mocking the Australian government with a meme that portrayed his administration as oppressive. He told ABC News that Musk “thinks he’s above the law but also above common decency.” He also noted that X’s refusal to fully comply with the court order was surprising, saying, “I find it extraordinary that X chose not to comply and are trying to argue their case.”

In response to the criticism, Musk tweeted a series of remarks, suggesting X is the only platform where truth is maintained. He also made personal attacks on the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, referring to her as the “Australian censorship commissar.”

Albanese defended the eSafety Commissioner, highlighting her role in protecting Australians and criticizing Musk’s approach to social responsibility. He reiterated that social media platforms need to uphold social responsibility, a standard Musk was not meeting.

X faces a 24-hour deadline to comply with the court’s injunction, and further hearings on the matter are scheduled in the coming days. This dispute follows ongoing legal proceedings between X and the eSafety Commissioner, as the platform has allegedly failed to provide adequate information on how it tracks and removes child abuse content online.