e-Safety commissioner reveals nurse video is not being removed
Authorities have shot down a conspiracy theory about the video of two nurses making anti-Semitic threats after it was widely spread online. Ahmed 'Rashid' Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were stood down from their roles at Bankstown Hospital in south-western Sydney after claiming they 'won't treat Israeli people' and would 'kill them' in a video filmed by Israeli influencer Max Veifer.Nadir, who was hospitalised amid backlash to the video, apologised through a lawyer again on Monday and vowed to cooperate with police as soon as he's mentally fit.The fresh apology comes after a rumour, which was being reported as fact on social media, claimed that there were official moves underway to ban the video and have it scrubbed from all websites.'The eSafety Commissioner is now attempting to have the Bankstown nurses video removed from the internet, citing concerns over Islamophobia,' the widely disseminated message says.However, a spokesperson for the eSafety Commissioner told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that it did review the video, and made the decision not to ban it.'Following a number of complaints from the public, eSafety has assessed this material and found it does not meet any threshold for removal under the Online Safety Act,' the spokesperson said. 'Therefore, eSafety has not sought removal of the material.' Rashad Nadir (left) and Sarah Abu Lebdeh (right) from Bankstown Hospital were filmed by a Jewish influencer who released the video on social media A rumour, which is being reported as fact on social media, claims that there are moves underway to ban the video and have it scrubbed from all websitesThe fake claim followed new allegations against one of the nurses being investigated over the anti-Semitic video. Police allegedly found a vial of morphine in Nadir's hospital locker after he and Abu Lebdeh were stood down from their roles.Nadir allegedly asked a former colleague to empty his personal locker, but that person instead called the police, Seven News reported.The vial was taken for testing as part of an investigation into Nadir.On Monday, Nadir's lawyer Mohamad Sakr apologised for the anti-Semitic video again on his client's behalf.'By no means does he protect what he has done or hide from it,' he told Nine News.'He does not represent a community of faith.'Mr Sakr added that his client will attend Bankstown Police Station to be formally interviewed once he is mentally fit to do so after he was rushed to hospital late last week.'He is more than happy to cooperate with police,' the lawyer added.Nadir was still in hospital on Saturday after emergency services were called to his home on Thursday night following a concern for welfare.His older sister told reporters he was 'not well' and had to be hospitalised due to concerns for his mental health. Ahmed 'Rashid' Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were stood down from their roles at Bankstown Hospital (pictured) in south-western Sydney in the fallout of the anti-Semitic videoRead More Major change to Facebook and Instagram that will impact every Aussie - what you need to know Police are yet to lay charges against Nadir and Abu Lebdeh, six days after they told Mr Veifer they would kill their Jewish patients in a video that went viral.Mr Veifer on Friday shared a longer, two-and-a-half-minute version of his conversation with the nurses in an online chat room.The full clip was then given to police about 8.50pm on Friday night.In comments not aired in the shorter, edited version of the video, Mr Veifer asked if his service as an Israeli soldier was why Nadir thought he would go to hell.'Um, that's definitely the answer, correct,' the nurse replied.The trio then began speaking over the top of each other as they addressed his military service, Hamas and the occupied Palestinian Territories.'One day, your time will come and you will die the most horrible death,' Abu Lebdeh said.Mr Veifer replied: 'You spread hate, we spread positivity, we spread protection, we spread peace and you spread death.'The latest example of how quickly fake news can spread came after experts warned Australians will be exposed to more abuse and trolling as Facebook and Instagram abandon specialist fact-checking services.Meta, which owns both Facebook and Instagram, announced in January it would scrap its third-party fact-checking program, starting in the US, over concerns it hampers free speech. Rashad Nadir has again apologised for his actions and vowed to cooperate with police inquiriesIn a five-minute video message posted to Facebook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: 'We're going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms.'More specifically, we're going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US.'The change, made a fortnight before Donald Trump's return to the White House, came as no surprise to news and political communication expert Emma Briant.'With at least 13 billionaires in his new administration, including Big Tech oligarchs like Musk, Trump has sent a powerful message across America's wealthy right-wing elite - now is your time, not theirs,' the Monash University associate professor said last month.'Clearly Mark Zuckerberg heard him loud and clear. Ordinary citizens should be very concerned.'Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meanwhile warned social media giants they 'have a social responsibility' to the Australian public.A recent federal inquiry highlighted more Australians were concerned about misinformation and disinformation than the global average.Nearly half of all young Australian adults, and 20 per cent across all age groups, use social media as their main source of news, according to a 2024 report by the federal media authority.'Mr Zuckerberg's decision is all about maximising the profits of Meta his profits at the expense of community safety and human decency,' Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young told ABC radio in January.'It's got nothing to do with freedom of speech and all got to do with maximum profits creating outrage, anger, abuse (and) supercharging that with secret algorithms that generate maximum profit through their advertising business model.'It's dangerous, it's going to be damaging for democracy, and it will have ramifications back here in Australia.'
