A disturbing video depicting a stabbing that reportedly influenced the Southport attacker has been taken down by TikTok following pressure from victims. The footage showing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked in Sydney, Australia, is said to have fueled Axel Rudakubana, 19, before his violent spree that tragically claimed the lives of three young girls.
Last year, after the perpetrator was sentenced, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged social media companies to remove violent content. A recent report on the 2024 triple-killing, which concluded that the tragedy could have been prevented, highlighted TikTok’s commitment to removing the video.
Despite assurances from TikTok and Meta that the video had been deleted, an investigation revealed it was still accessible on an account with a large following. Following contact from the Mirror, TikTok finally removed the video for violating its guidelines.
Chris Walker, Director of Serious Injury at Bond Turner, representing the families of the deceased children, expressed concern over the availability of such graphic content on TikTok, calling for its immediate removal to prevent further harm and safeguard society.
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, a Serious Injury Solicitor at Fletchers Solicitors, representing survivors of the attack, criticized social media companies for prioritizing profits over user safety. She emphasized the need for swift action in removing harmful content and advocated for stricter regulations on apps sharing such material.
Lucy Martindale, head of Operation Shutdown, condemned social media platforms for profiting from violent content and urged them to act promptly. Retired Met Police detective Peter Bleksley criticized TikTok for not taking sufficient action despite the role of violent content in inspiring attacks.
It was revealed that Rudakubana searched for the stabbing video shortly before the attack, which resulted in the tragic loss of three lives and injuries to several others. The clip depicted the stabbing of Mr. Emmanuel during a live-streamed sermon in Sydney.
Rudakubana, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders, had also accessed extremist content prior to the attack. The incident prompted concerns from politicians, including Keir Starmer, about the harmful impact of social media on children and the need for stricter regulations to protect young users.
The ongoing debate on regulating online content for children underscores the urgency to address the risks posed by social media platforms. The call for action extends to imposing bans on under-16s to safeguard vulnerable individuals from exposure to harmful material online.