SYDNEY: A screenshot supposedly showing an X post by Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing free speech a “dangerous tool” originates from a parody page but has been taken as the truth on social media.
The screenshots suggest an X post from a parody social media account posing as “Anthony Albanese” that says: “This will be my last social media post on X. I stand stable in my belief that free speech is a dangerous tool and must be limited. Musk’s commitment to free speech is a harm to our democratic discourse. As such, in solidarity with Lambie, I too shall be leaving X.”
A social media user sharing the screenshot that post on social media took it seriously, saying: “Only a dictator would say that free speech is a ‘tool’, it is a human right.”
However, Reuters reported that the post was initially shared on April 24 by a parody page. Replying to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Albanese’s government said in an email that, “The Prime Minister’s official Twitter (X) account is @AlboMP.” It suggests that the post was a satire not actual statement of the Prime Minister of Australia.
