An Australian court handed Elon Musk a victory Monday in what he described as an ongoing fight for “free speech.”
The court ruled it would not extend a temporary block on footage posted to X of a church stabbing that occurred in a Sydney suburb on April 15.
X had opposed the block, which was initially ordered on April 22, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
X never fully complied with the order, though X did geoblock footage of the Wakeley church attack in Australia, according to the ABC.
Australia’s online regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, wanted a global block.
That said, Musk isn’t completely in the clear. A final hearing is set to decide the matter in coming weeks, according to the ABC.
“Not trying to win anything,” Musk wrote in response to a commenter on X. “I just don’t think we should be suppressing Australian’s rights to free speech.”
Musk has publicly feuded with Australian government officials over the issue, with Australia’s environment minister Tanya Plibersek calling him an “egotistical billionaire.”
It’s just one of many international battlegrounds where Musk is waging war in the name of content moderation. He’s been feuding with a judge on the Brazilian supreme court over an order to block accounts and has announced he will fund legal challenges to Ireland’s upcoming hate speech laws.
When Business Insider asked about the ruling, X’s press office sent an automated response it’s been using for months: “Busy now, please check back later.”
The eSafety Commissioner didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider made outside business hours.
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