Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel is OK with his attack video being public and has warned against attacks on free speech.

By TONY MOBILIFONITIS
SYDNEY Assyrian Christian Church bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, has effectively torpedoed efforts by PM Albanese and his eSafety Commissar to internationally censor video of the attack on him at his Wakeley church.

In a second address since the attack, a subdued-sounding Bishop Mar Mari has told followers while he acknowledges the government’s desire to have the videos removed because of their graphic nature, he doesn’t mind the footage of his attack being shown online.

“I do not condone any acts of terrorism or violence, however, noting our God-given right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion I’m not opposed to the videos remaining on social media. I(t) would be of great concern if people use the attack on me to serve their own political interests to control free speech,” the Bishop said in a YouTube message.

This video that Albanese and company so desperately wish to censor raises some questions. One is, why aren’t the parishioners who jumped on the bishop’s assailant without regard for their personal safety being publicly hailed as heroes like those at Bondi Westfield? That act of real bravery in the church resulted in several people suffering knife wounds.

And why was the video of the French hero aka “Bollard Man” Damien Guerot challenging Joel Cauchi on an escalator cut off? And where is the video of the other attacks, especially the one that resulted in the death of the Pakistani security man Faraz Tahir? Was he not armed? Was no-one nearby to help him, and the other victims – the six deceased and eight others reported as injured?

According to Guerot, after challenging Cauchi on the escalator, he then chased behind NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, who shot the attacker dead, holding a chair as a potential weapon. Was no-one else in that entire shopping centre unable to lift a chair or bollard to fight off or challenge Cauchi as he apparently stabbed people randomly?

These questions might be answered if the public was able to view the unedited security footage, which somehow was already edited within a few hours of the attack and being repeatedly shown on TV news bulletins.

At least one of the attacks, according to witnesses, took place in front of shops, yet there’s no video of that. Why? It seems everything is done and dusted at Bondi, from the public memorial service to the permanent monument. Bollard Man will also get the permanent residency his lawyer was seeking – the PM said so. And the offender, of course, is dead.

Meanwhile the federal and state governments have doubled down on their “terrorism” narrative around the bishop’s stabbing by arresting seven teenagers in Sydney and Goulburn. Several of them allegedly had Islamic State videos of beheadings and other violence on their mobile phones.

These teens were picked up by a massive squad of police, including ASIO agents and the Federal Police, on Anzac Day. A 14-year-old and 17-year-old faced court charged with “possessing or controlling extremist material”. The younger boy was granted conditional bail, but will remain in custody because prosecutor intends to lodge an appeal.

Police allege the files on the 14-year-old’s phone include videos showing people being run over and a “cartoon advocating violence towards homosexual men”, while the 17-year-old also had “a video of person in military fatigues providing instructions on making explosive devices”.

Two other teens aged 16 were charged with “conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act”. Neither applied for bail and their cases were adjourned until June.

The fifth teenager aged 17, was charged with “conspiring to engage in an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act and custody of a knife in a public place” and also did not apply for bail.

Some media reports said the charges related to the attempted stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari but a later, more detailed ABC report with comments from the magistrate did not mention this at all except for NSW Police saying they were continuing to investigate associates of Bishop Mar Mari’s attacker.

The ABC also reported Gamel Kheir of the Lebanese Muslim Association calling the police actions “heavy handed” and criticising the language used by authorities, particularly the claim that the teenagers were religiously motivated.

He said the Muslim community were told a week ago there was a lone wolf and now the attack was being portrayed as a terrorist cell. “My fear, my communities fear, is that we are being played once again as political footballs,” he said.

NSW Premier Chris Mins, following Albo’s censorship script, told media he could change legislation to impose restrictions on apps like Snapchat, allegedly used by these teens to view and communicate the “violent and extremist content”.

However, one would not have to look far to find teenagers possessing “violent and extremist” content, and we will be interested to know how sophisticated the “terrorist attack” that the two 16-year-olds were allegedly planning really was.