An Australian judge ruled on Monday that social media platform X must block users worldwide from accessing video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church, extending the ban beyond just Australian users. The tech company, now owned by billionaire Elon Musk, had previously announced it would fight Australian orders to take down posts related to the knife attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel. The material was geoblocked in Australia but was still available elsewhere. The eSafety Commission successfully applied for a temporary global ban on the video, arguing that geoblocking Australia did not meet the definition of “removal” under Australian law.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized X for not complying with the orders, stating that social media has a social responsibility. He expressed his surprise at X's decision to fight the court orders and emphasized the importance of keeping people safe online. The live feed of the church attack and subsequent social media posts led to a riot against police, resulting in injuries to 51 officers and damage to 104 police vehicles. Three alleged rioters have been arrested, and police released images of 12 suspects they accuse of instigating the violence.

The 16-year-old boy accused of the stabbings has been charged with terrorism offenses and has received both condemnation and praise online for the attack. X's Global Government Affairs team stated that they believe the eSafety Commissioner's orders were not within the scope of Australian law and that they would challenge the ban in court. Musk has referred to the eSafety Commissioner as the "Australian censorship commissar." The judge has given X 24 hours to hide the footage from its users until a hearing for a permanent ban on Wednesday.