Elon Musk plans to file a free speech lawsuit against the Australian government after it demanded that X remove a post critical of a radical transgender-identifying activist it claimed violated the government’s eSafety policies.
Musk’s plan comes after the Australian government’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman-Grant, told Chris Elston, a Canadian opponent of gender ideology known by the name Billboard Chris, to take down a post that was critical of Australian activist Teddy Cook. Additionally, Australia threatened X with an $800,000 AUD fine if the post was not removed. Cook is a leftist activist who was recently appointed as an expert on a World Health Organization panel.
“Earlier this week, X was ordered by the Australian E-Safety Commissioner, subject to an approximately $800,000 AUD fine, to remove a user’s post,” X’s Global Government Affairs Team said. “The post had criticized an individual appointed by the World Health Organization to serve as an expert on transgender issues.”
“X is withholding the post in Australia in compliance with the order but intends to file a legal challenge to the order to protect its user’s right to free speech,” X said.
Earlier this week, X was ordered by the Australian E-Safety Commissioner, subject to an approximately $800,000 AUD fine, to remove a user's post. The post had criticized an individual appointed by the World Health Organization to serve as an expert on transgender issues.
X is…
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) March 29, 2024
Musk’s battle with Australia comes just over a year after Daily Wire host Michael Knowles warned about the threats to free speech that Commissioner Grant might pose beyond Australia’s borders because of her ideological beliefs and ties to the World Economic Forum.
In January 2023, Knowles revealed in a lengthy X thread that Grant, who previously suggested a “recalibration” of free speech, had listed hate speech, “dehumanization,” and “individual identity attacks” as “online harms” on the government’s official eSafety website. Grant also has been part of the World Economic Forum’s “Global Coalition for Digital Safety.”
In this case, I do in fact hate to say I told ya so…
cc: @BillboardChris, @elonmusk https://t.co/y8w6jtsN35
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) March 28, 2024
Last month, the eSafety Commission took action after Elston commented and shared an article from The Daily Mail that said Cook had a social media page filled with public nudity, bondage parties, trans orgies, and even a photo of a person appearing to have sex with a dog.
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After sharing the article, Elston was sent a letter from the Australia eSafety Commission telling him to remove the post.
“An ordinary reasonable person in the position of the Complainant would regard the Material as being offensive,” the letter said. “’This is because the Material singles out the Complainant to personify the poster’s contempt for transgender identity as well as equating transgender identity with a psychiatric condition.”
Elston refused to take the post down, saying he was not guilty of what the Australian government accused him of, and announced on Wednesday that he had appealed the takedown order.
X has blocked the post in Australia while it pursues legal action against the country.