Police the ‘Source of Truth’: Commissioner in Response to Christian Stabbing

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb speaks during a press conference at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney, Australia, on April 14, 2024. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

New South Wales (NSW) Police Commissioner Karen Webb has told the public that “police will be the source of truth,” not social media and misinformation.

This comes after a 16-year-old teenager was charged with an alleged Commonwealth terrorism offence, following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a Sydney church on April 15.

Ms. Webb said she wanted to stress that there is “misinformation” being communicated across social media and that “people should not share any of that information.”

“The source of information should be from police and law enforcement authorities. And if people have concerns they should check our website, our socials, and any other direct news from law enforcement about current information,” she told reporters.

She continued that if NSW Police have “current credible information” about any risk or threat to the community, they will let them know.

“We will share that with the community. So please be assured that police will be the source of truth, and not social media and misinformation,” Ms. Webb said.

eSafety Commissioner Issues Orders to X and Meta

Meanwhile, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has ordered social media platforms to remove graphic footage of two recent stabbing attacks.

Legal notices were issued to X, Google, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Reddit, asking them to report on steps they are taking to “protect Australians from terrorist and violent extremist material and activity.”

This includes the incident at the church, along with the stabbing rampage at the Bondi Junction shopping centre in eastern Sydney on April 13.

Ms. Grant warned she could go to Google or Bing to reduce the footage Australians can see if social media companies do not act.

“If they fail to remove the content, then we can go to search engines such as Google or Bing to really minimise the amount of content the Australians can see,” Ms. Grant told the media in a press conference.

The eSafety Commissioner has the power to issue fines or initiate civil proceedings in court, Ms. Grant said.

“While the majority of mainstream social media platforms have engaged with us, I am not satisfied enough is being done to protect Australians from this most extreme and gratuitous violent material circulating online.

“That is why I am exercising my powers under the Online Safety Act to formally compel them to remove it.”

Ms. Grant also revealed she is concerned terrorists and violent extremists are capitalising on generative AI technology to cause harm, citing a report from a UN-backed organisation.

“Earlier this month, the UN-backed Tech against Terrorism reported that it had identified users of an Islamic State forum comparing the attributes of Google’s Gemini, ChatGPT, and Microsoft’s Copilot,” she said.

Labor Government Weighs in on ‘Misinformation’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned “misinformation” multiple times during media interviews following the Bondi stabbing attack.

Six people were killed and multiple people were injured after 40-year-old Joel Cauchi entered the mall and went on a stabbing spree with a knife. Following the incident, many videos circulated online, including footage of the victims and the attacker.

During at least five media conferences on April 15, Mr. Albanese lamented the “misinformation” circulating in the community.

“The thing about social media, of course, is that everyone is a publisher and it is very difficult to control these things,” Mr. Albanese told ABC radio Sydney.

“It is a scourge in many ways, social media. The lack of responsibility, it must be said, as well of some of the social media operators that we know about allowing content to be circulated which is clearly misinformation.”

Further, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones also launched an attack on social media platforms in an interview with Nine newspapers, claiming there is a “danger to democracy.

“The events of the last week have been horrific. The spreading of misinformation about these events through social media turns what has been a horrific week into something diabolical. Without journalism, God help us,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Meta seems more intent on removing journalists from its platform than all of this other dangerous content. If the place where the majority of people are going to for information is Facebook and that information is overwhelmingly unreliable, if not recklessly wrong, then that’s a danger to democracy,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

The government released proposed misinformation and disinformation laws in 2023, but in November 2023, revealed it would hold back on introducing the legislation to consider possible religious protections.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland indicated at the time that doing nothing is not an option.

The Communications and Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill (pdf) would enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to enforce policy against misinformation online.

Police Charge 16-year-old after Christian Bishop Stabbed

The plea from authorities comes after Christian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 53, was repeatedly stabbed while delivering a sermon at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Sydney.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a terrorism offence following the incident and refused bail. Police allege the teenager had travelled up to 90 minutes from his home to attend that address. The 16-year-old will appear at a children’s court.

Ms. Webb advised police will be “out in force” from April 19 onwards to reassure the community they are there to keep them safe.

The NSW Police have deployed additional officers in south west Sydney and across the city to patrol places of worship and other locations.

“The community should have no current concerns for their safety,” she said.