‘Grotesque glorification of violence’ - MP slams Musk for not removing extreme video seen by Southport killer

3 February 2025, 13:27

Gregor Poynton, chair of the APPG and MP for Livingston, has attacked Elon musk after his social media platform X refused to remove the video.
Gregor Poynton, chair of the APPG and MP for Livingston, has attacked Elon musk after his social media platform X refused to remove the video. Picture: Alamy

By Josef Al Shemary

The chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Children’s Online Safety has written to Elon Musk demanding the immediate removal of the video, which depicts a knife attack on a bishop.

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The video of the stabbing, which took place in Sydney, Australia, was viewed by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana right before he left his house and brutally murdered three young girls in July 2024.

Gregor Poynton, chair of the APPG and MP for Livingston, has now attacked Elon musk after his social media platform X refused to remove the video.

Mr Poynton said it was a “grotesque glorification of violence and a chilling example of how your site has facilitated real-world harm.

“It continues to endanger children and vulnerable users by allowing the promotion of violence and terror.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has also written to tech giants including X, Meta and TikTok calling for them to remove harmful content or ‘risk a second Southport’.

She told Sunday Morning with Lewis Goodall on LBC “I think it's a total disgrace that some of this material is still available online. Some of these are illegal, clearly illegal images, clearly illegal material.

"For example, the manual that the perpetrator was prosecuted and convicted for holding, and also material that it appears he looked at on the way to the attack.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper joins Lewis Goodall | Watch again

In her letter, Ms Cooper said the ease with which “such dangerous and illegal” content can be viewed was "unacceptable", and promised stronger measures.

Read more: ‘A total disgrace’ that extreme content viewed by Southport killer still on social media, says Yvette Cooper

Mr Poynton pointed out that other tech giants such as Google and TikTok have responsibly removed the video, but X has failed to follow suit.

X has geoblocked the video in Australia, where the attack took place, but it is still available for users around the world - including in the UK.

“This decision is deeply troubling and suggests that your platform prioritises clicks and traffic over the safety of users and the public,” Mr Poynton wrote.

“This is not an issue of free speech—it is about safeguarding lives.”

Read more: MPs hit back after Farage says Government is ‘kicking the can down the road’ on Southport inquiry

Read more: Ex-soldier Daniel Khalife sentenced to 14 years and three months behind bars after prison escape and spying for Iran

He added that the social media platform, owned by the world’s richest man and now a key part of the world’s most powerful country’s government, has undermined global efforts to protect children.

“Your inaction undermines global efforts to protect online spaces from becoming breeding grounds for radicalisation and harm,” he said.

“It is entirely unacceptable that content capable of inciting violence remains on your site, accessible to users in the UK and around the world.”

The letter, signed by other MPs and online safety organisations, calls for the video to be removed and for X to review its content moderation policies.

Mr Poynton warned: “If this content is not removed, further regulatory scrutiny and potential legislative consequences must follow. Lives are at stake, and it is your responsibility to ensure your platform does not remain complicit in enabling harm.”

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