Australian Senator Jacqui Lambie has intensified her campaign against Elon Musk, demanding his imprisonment over his stance on free speech. Lambie, urged fellow politicians to demonstrate their seriousness by boycotting Musk’s platform, X.
Australian Senator Jacqui Lambie says Elon Musk needs to be jailed because he’s allowing too much free speech on X.
“Quite frankly the bloke should be jailed, and the sooner we can bring laws in and do something about this game playing with our social media the better off we’re… pic.twitter.com/Nk5TBoYJx1
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 23, 2024
“Elon Musk has no social conscience whatsoever… whatever he is on that makes him say that’s okay to continue to [broadcast misinformation] is absolutely disgusting behaviour and quite frankly the bloke should be jailed,” Lambie stated on ABC radio.
She further declared her own boycott of X, urging her parliamentary colleagues to follow suit. Lambie minced no words in her criticism of Musk, branding him a “social media knob” who deserves to be shut down.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese says Elon Musk is “out of touch” for fighting his censorship
Who do you think is out of touch?
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) April 22, 2024
The feud between Musk and Australian authorities escalated after X refused to censor content related to a stabbing incident, prompting criticism from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Musk, in response, ridiculed Albanese’s remarks, asserting X’s commitment to free speech.
“Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet,” Musk posted on his platform.
“We have already censored the content in question for Australia, pending legal appeal , and it is stored only on servers in the USA.”
That is exactly the issue.
Should the eSafety Commissar (an unelected official) in Australia have authority over all countries on Earth? https://t.co/wzv4Uinx8y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2024
While mainstream media largely condemned Musk, Australian users of X overwhelmingly supported his stance on free speech.
Hi @elonmusk,
This tyrannical government does not speak for all of us. We are filthy at them, not you. Please fight them all the way to our high courts. And win.
Sincerely,
Many Australians pic.twitter.com/Nqoh8gcaX6
— Aus Integrity (@QBCCIntegrity) April 22, 2024
The West Australian newspaper headlined its front page with “X MARKS THE LOSER” with a crossed-out image of Musk and Australian journalists have been vocal in their opposition to Musk’s free speech ambition.
Imagine pretending to be a part of the ‘free press’ while cheering on government censorship of public interest videos like a declared terrorist attack in Sydney. https://t.co/JkxJnPjYaz
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) April 22, 2024
This rift underscores growing concerns over government censorship and control of online discourse, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hi Tanya. Your family heroically escaped the Soviet bloc and freedom loving Australia kindly gave your family opportunity.
Why do you want to introduce Soviet bloc policies here? https://t.co/vhEayP1pZw
— John Ruddick MLC (@JohnRuddick2) April 22, 2024
Australian users of the X platform, formerly Twitter, however overwhelmingly voiced their support for Musk’s free speech stance, hailing him for standing firm on his position as censorship concerns grow across Western nations while governments grapple for narrative control with many nations introducing censorship bills in parliament to reign in “misinformation” and “disinformation”.
What else are you going to ban from social media Tanya ?
🫣The Zapruder film ?
🫣The assassination of Bobby Kennedy ?
🫣The terror attack on the Moscow concert hall ?
🫣The naked 9-year-old girl burnt by napalm during the Vietnam war ?
🫣The Challenger space shuttle disaster ?… https://t.co/YtYo5Y24N9— Craig Kelly (@CraigKellyPHON) April 22, 2024
Free speech advocates online however have expressed concern over how governments will classify what is misinformation, and what isn’t, with many expressing concerns highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic where the narrative from media and governments drastically shifted over time.
“The @eSafetyOffice has made a laughing stock of Australia. She’s out of control.”@rowandean on @SkyNewsAust @BillboardChris @jazzmoi3 @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/4XHJjht0vY
— MilkBarTV (@TheMilkBarTV) April 22, 2024
The clash also reignited debates over the role of the eSafety Commissioner, with critics accusing her of overreach and advocating for her removal.
Women’s rights advocate Katherine Deves accused the eSafety Commissioner of “complete totalitarianism” as public calls grow for her role to be abolished.
Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian “eSafety Commissar” is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?
We have already censored the content in question for… https://t.co/aca9E4uAB7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2024
“Her role should be abolished,” Deves told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
“We do not need an eSafety commissioner.
“Looking at her mandate, which is supposed to be about bullying and online digital abuse, she has gone way beyond her ambit in seeking to censor Australians.
“To censor things that the powers that be don’t like, that indeed, she personally appears not to like.”
The legal battle between X and Australian authorities continues, raising pivotal questions about internet governance and freedom of expression.