Some accounts falsely linked the attack to Islamist terrorism, while others identified the wrong man, with the error repeated by a TV network
Six people were killed after Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing spree at Bondi Westfield shopping centre on Saturday. The attack ended when police shot Cauchi dead about 4pm.Six people were killed after Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing spree at Bondi Westfield shopping centre on Saturday. The attack ended when police shot Cauchi dead about 4pm.
Each tragedy that attracts global attention is now an opportunity for social media accounts to attract followers and revenue off the back of inflammatory claims, or to fit the incident into a predetermined narrative before the facts have emerged, and this weekend was no different. An AMAN spokesperson said they were full of dehumanising tropes about Muslim people. “Because of the high emotion triggered by the actions, we see people’s real sentiment and prejudice come to the fore,” the spokesperson said.Amid the deluge of false claims, at least two people were wrongly named as the attacker on social media – one by a major news outlet – before police officially revealed Cauchi’s identity on Sunday morning.
A Sydney man by the name of Benjamin Cohen, whose LinkedIn profile was shared on X by accounts falsely claiming he resembled the attacker, said people were attempting to “push an agenda and spread hatred”.
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