Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss asks the senior X executive whether "you can understand the level of anger and dismay" from the families of the victims to learn that the Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel video was viewed by AR six minutes before leaving home... and that X had refused to remove it.

Ms Khananisho replies: "Of course."

And she adds: "The importance of free speech is literally the stronghold of all our governments, all of democracy and everything we should stand for as a people."

She refers to her own background as the daughter of immigrants from an oppressed country.

"Every single day bad things happen; every single day attacks happen," she said.

And she insisted X would not limit individual rights to provide "some level of false safety".

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss said that TikTok and Meta had attempted to block uploads of the April 2024 Australian bishop stabbing video that AR watched shortly before setting off from home to carry out the Southport attack.

He suggests X "double-downed" while other platforms attempted to limit the video's reach.

Ms Khananisho repeats that X has "far less" children on their platform than other similar companies.

"We are an anti-censorship company, so anything out there is going to be looked at through that lens."

She adds: "We are proud to be an outlier and we're proud to be the defenders of free speech globally."

Mr Moss points out to her that X "had AR as a child" and asks: "Surely that was quite sobering for any responsible organisation?"

Ms Khananisho says she wasn't personally part of any discussions about what actions were taken.

However she adds: "Taking the God-given right of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression from the masses because of the very few that have committed horrendous crimes is not something that we take very lightly."

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss suggests some "outside observers" might think that AR's viewing of the video before launching a "murderous attack" was the "nightmare scenario" for X.

He asks whether she "really can't tell" the inquiry whether it had prompted any reflection within X.

She responds: "You're assuming that when every heinous crime is committed that anybody who has looked at something on our platform, that that was some level of trigger."

Mr Moss says that while X was not legally compelled to take the video down, it could have done so as a matter of policy or, "some might say, decency".

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss reminds Ms Khananisho of the seriousness of the public inquiry - and outlines how it was prompted by the deaths of three children and the grievous injuries suffered by the surviving victims.

He asks if the fact that AR searched for the video of the stabbing six minutes before leaving home to kill children "concerned you or the corporation".

Ms Khananisho replies: "I don't know that I can speak to the reasoning behind why he would look for a video like that; I see the video in a very different way than somebody else does.

"And so for me to make an assumption that he was looking for that video to conduct a heinous attack, I mean I am not a criminologist or a psychologist and nor is anybody at the company."

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss states that the Southport Inquiry had asked X to disclose a number of accounts believed to have been used by the attacker, who is referred to during the hearings by his initials, AR.

Ms Khananisho says she is not aware of the full details, but the inquiry heard X had identified four accounts linked to AR's emails and phone number.

One was deactivated in 2021, two in 2023 and one on the day of the attack on 29 July 2024.

However, X did not provide details of messages sent by or to those accounts.

Mr Moss says X wrote to the inquiry last night and said due to a data entry error it had mistakenly missed three other accounts used by AR.

Mr Moss points out that Meta, the rival social media company that owns Facebook and Instagram, had provided content data.

Mr Khananisho says she is not aware of the differences, and that information can be provided later by X's legal team.

Mr Moss says that on one of the accounts, X was able to find out what date of birth Rudakubana entered, but that it had not yet been provided to the inquiry.

She says she is not sure why this is the case, adding: "The legal space is not my space."

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the inquiry, talks about litigation involving the Australian government which demanded the removal of online video footage of the April 2024 Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel stabbing in Sydney.

X agreed to restrict users in Australia from seeing the video, but won a legal battle against the country's eSafety Commissioner to prevent footage from being seen elsewhere.

The Australian government dropped its removal notice and agreed to pay X's legal costs.

Mr Moss said that during the legal process it was noted by a judge that other social media organisations had removed the video and X would not be in breach of any US laws were it take such a "reasonable step".

However the judge, who described X as an "outlier" compared to other social media platforms, said the Australian government did not have legal jurisdiction to force X to remove the video.

Ian Shoesmith
BBC News

We're back under way at Liverpool Town Hall, where Deanna Romina Khananisho, head of global government affairs at X (formerly Twitter), is set to resume her evidence to the Southport public inquiry.

Later this afternoon we expect the Southport attacker's brother to give evidence by video link.

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Image source, Southport Inquiry

Mr Moss asks if there was consideration within X of whether allowing the Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel video to remain live gave the terrorist intent behind it "more fuel".

For context, Ms Khananisho says she is a "devout" member of the bishop's Assyrian church.

She tells the hearing at Liverpool Town Hall she was watching the sermon live when the attack happened and "saw a miracle".

"People saw a monster, I saw an angel protecting Mar Mari."

She says she believes, and the bishop himself agrees, that the video should not be used to restrict "freedom of speech".

"That isn't justice, that's tyrannical overreach," she says.

Without taking away the power of what she described, Mr Moss suggests there "would be nothing to stop" the most graphic parts of the footage being edited.

Ms Khananisho replies: "I would say that in the words of [US founding father] Benjamin Franklin, those that give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty and so I don't agree with your statement."

The inquiry will now adjourn for a brief lunch break.

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Ms Khananisho says X believes that "seeing something horrific" is not "in and of itself" a "trigger point for human beings".

When it comes to internationally significant events, X's head of global government affairs says it is important for people to see what is happening.

Mr Moss responds: "I am specifically challenging you about horrific video footage of what is currently understood to be a ferocious stabbing attack by a terrorist... that's the context of my question, let's stick with that."

He then turns to X's policy on promoting the activities of "violent or hateful" entities.

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

Mr Moss turns to X's policy on violent content.

It says X prohibits material that depicts graphic, violent or excessively gory content including sexual violence.

Ms Khananisho agrees the Sydney attack video was "very violent".

Mr Moss suggests to her that the video clearly did not meet X's definition of such content since it had refused to remove it.

He asks if there was "internal dialogue" over whether the video met the threshold for removal.

"Yes in the context, in the discussion, there were several factors that were looked at to make a determination like that," replies Ms Khananisho.

She says these included that while the stabbing motion could be seen, there was no clear view of the knife, it did not show "slow motion" or exaggerate the attack, and showed congregants rushing to defend the bishop.

"It actually depicts a real-world issue, and it was a newsworthy issue that is legitimate."

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Next, Mr Moss asks about the video of the 2024 Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel stabbings in Australia which AR viewed six minutes before leaving to attack the Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport on 29 July 2024.

He confirms that the bishop himself, who survived despite losing vision in one eye, has had no objection to the video of the attack remaining live.

Ms Khananisho agrees that the footage, showing a teenage boy stabbing the bishop, is "absolutely horrific".

Mr Moss acknowledges that many other platforms also showed that footage.

He says terrorism-related charges and those related to sharing violent and extremist material have been brought.

"The sensible outside observer may think it might not be a coincidence that the attacker chose a sermon that was being livestreamed," says Mr Moss.

"It would be a reasonable assumption that was done for the purposes of getting as much notoriety and infamy for the attack as possible?"

Ms Khananisho says she cannot comment on the attacker's motivations.

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss then asks whether, when X first realised the Southport knifeman had viewed a violent video on its platform just six minutes before leaving his home to carry out the attack, the importance of taking age verification "more seriously" had "hit home".

Ms Khananisho responds by saying X does not police the "intent" of people viewing its content.

Mr Moss suggests X does not need to consider "intent", rather that it should enforce "socially responsible" policies to enforce age restrictions.

"Anybody who is that determined to find content is going to find it and find a way around it, to say that we didn't have any social responsibility in managing it, is not accurate," Ms Khananisho replies.

Mr Moss asks if the "sum total" of verification in 2024 was asking a child to enter their correct date of birth and listen to sensitivity warnings.

Ms Khananisho replies: "Well, the assumption is that child has oversight by adults and parents."

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss asks how X would flag something as "sensitive content" on its platform.

Ms Khananisho says a "combination" of steps are taken, including machine learning identifying triggers and models.

She says since the introduction of the Online Safety Act (OSA) in December, X has been engaged with Ofcom - the UK communication regulator - to ensure its compliance.

She accepts the OSA imposes a duty to protect children from harmful but lawful content.

Ms Khananisho says she "does not know" if X has had to take "additional steps" to impose more rigorous restrictions, as she is not part of the enforcement team.

She agrees there are various ways of estimating a user's age, including whether they have passed a "blue tick" verification process which requires ID, how long they have had the account, and who they follow.

Mr Moss asks if X is still "reluctant" to ask users for a government-issued ID.

Ms Khananisho says she is unsure whether there is a "reluctance" or a belief that it is not "foolproof".

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss asks Ms Khananisho about X's safety controls for children.

These include tools to block unknown users, controls allowing parents to restrict access to certain accounts, and time limits.

He highlights that in July 2024 all that was needed to open an adult account was a date of birth, without the need for any ID checks.

He asks Ms Khananisho: "Was that satisfactory?"

She replies: "X is not a platform that is targeted to children, it is not advertised to children, we don't have any offerings for children."

Mr Moss suggested that if a child was interested in violent material, and knew that X showed such material, they would think X was a good place to find it.

He suggests it "must have been obvious that it was literally child's play for a child to bypass the age requirement".

Ms Khananiso suggests a child advanced enough to do that would be able to access material "no matter how many protections were in place".

She says there are "privacy concerns" over demanding people enter their ID.

Mr Moss puts it to the senior X executive: "If you had wanted to do something about this, you could have found a way. Do you agree or not?"

She responds: "That would presume we didn't have any restrictions in place, which we did, so we did want to find a way."

Mr Moss poses a theoretical example of the debate about whether a social media company should remove certain material.

He asks Ms Khananisho: "If there was a crime that was filmed you might take a different view if the post was saying how awful it was and how action needed to be taken, from if the post was somehow glorifying or inciting or encouraging that which happened?"

"That is a great example," she replies.

Mr Moss suggests that even very graphically violent material might be permitted to remain on X "if the contextual assessment is that it's a newsworthy event, or raising awareness, or calling for political action".

She replies: "There is a possibility that would occur, but it would also be labelled accordingly, so it wouldn't just be freely out there. The goal is to label it accordingly if it's graphic content."

Ms Khananisho tells the inquiry such a label would also restrict access to underage users.

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Mr Moss asks about X's policies on violent and gory material.

Ms Khananisho says they are not based on individual judgements by X staff, but rather an understanding of the applicable laws in multiple jurisdictions around the world.

As a company, however, she says X errs towards freedom of speech in cases involving controversial material, and that "context and intent" is important.

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Ms Khananisho confirms X has about 600 million users worldwide, with a UK user base of about 43 million. Of those, approximately 183,000 are under 18.

Nicholas Moss, KC, counsel to the inquiry, asks about her witness statement, which suggests X sees itself as a "global digital town square".

She explains: "It aspires to give an equal voice to all people within the bounds of the laws of the country by which we operate.

"It's where we encourage people to come together and have conversations globally about what may be occurring...

"We understand that can be very messy and uncomfortable and many times it can be controversial."

Mr Moss asks for a screengrab of her personal X account, which has a background picture stating "Freedom of Speech - More Important Than Your Feelings".

She also describes herself as a "free speech warrior".

Ms Khananisho tells the inquiry she is the daughter of immigrants who left "part of the world which restricted our ability to worship and and censored our ability to communicate within our belief system".

Jonny Humphries
BBC News

Image source, Southport Inquiry

Deanna Romina Khananisho, head of global government affairs for X (formerly known as Twitter), is the next witness to give evidence at the Southport Inquiry.

She is appearing remotely by video-link from the United States.

She joined X in September 2025, and leads a team of about 14 or 15 people that engages with governmental and regulatory bodies around the world.

Mairead Smyth
Reporting from the inquiry

As Stephanie Roberts-Bibby came to the end of giving her evidence to the inquiry she said: "I am speechless at how much information was available in an uncoordinated, scattered way that means that there were several opportunities that weren't grabbed."

This appeared to be the thrust of her argument this morning - that there was a clear lack of coordination between agencies.

She also pointed to a "clunky IT system" used to record information and when asked about the purpose of the referral order which AR received she said it "should be both inspirational and aspirational for that child".

The Youth Justice Board's chief executive stressed that "if there is non-compliance it is absolutely incumbent on the worker, the lead worker with the child, to find out why they are not engaging..."

The inquiry heard that often communication was over the phone and AR was only offered three 30-minute sessions.

Ms Roberts-Bibby also said AR's risk should have been reassessed and that he should have been arrested when he was found in possession of a knife on a bus.

Ending her evidence, she tells the inquiry chairman that she would be happy to help in any way she can to expand upon the recommendations she has made during this morning's evidence.

Ian Shoesmith
BBC News

That concludes the Youth Justice Board chief executive Stephanie Roberts-Bibby's evidence and she is thanked by the inquiry's chairman, Sir Adrian Fulford.

A short break is called - we're expecting the next witness to be called at about 11:50 GMT.