X ‘refused to take down’ video viewed by Southport killer

Australia’s internet regulator says X refused to take down a video of a high-profile stabbing in Sydney that was watched by Axel Rudakubana just before he murdered three young girls in Southport.

The body, eSafety, said it “noted with great sadness” that Rudakubana viewed the violent footage of the attempted murder of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.

It said other major tech firms complied with its request to take the video down, but X – owned by Elon Musk – only blocked it in Australia, meaning Rudakubana was able to view it minutes before leaving his home to carry out his deadly attack.

The 18-year-old has been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the murders.

X has been contacted for comment.

Police officers who investigated last July’s Southport murders – which sparked riots across England – discovered a number of devices during a search of the 18-year-old’s home in Banks, Lancashire.

They have said it could take years to uncover what was in Rudakubana’s internet browsing history, which he deleted before he left the house to carry out his attack.

A search on X for the stabbing of the bishop was the only thing that remained, police have said.

He was attacked in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley in April 2024 – an incident deemed an act of terror by the police.

The attack on the bishop during mass at the The Good Shepherd Church sparked unrest in the Australian city.

After the attack on the bishop, which was livestreamed, eSafety said it worked “collaboratively where possible” with technology companies to remove the video from platforms.

“Immediately following the Wakeley attack, companies including Google, Microsoft, Snap and TikTok acted quickly to cooperate with eSafety and ensure the Wakeley stabbing video could not be accessed from their platforms,” the regulator said.

“Some of these companies took additional, proactive steps to reduce further spread of the material.”

eSafety subsequently contacted Meta – owner of Facebook and Instagram – and X, telling the companies to remove the material “under the provisions of Australia’s Online Safety Act”.

Meta did respond and took action which was welcomed by eSafety, but X decided to not remove the video from its platform, it said.

Instead, according to the regulator, X geoblocked the footage in Australia, meaning people outside the country and those within it using a VPN could still watch it.

In June last year, eSafety abandoned a legal battle to have the footage removed.

X has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.