Google Executive Defends YouTube Video on Antisemitic Attack Survivor

In Melbourne, Australia, a Google executive provided testimony at a government inquiry into the spread of antisemitism. The discussion centered on a controversial YouTube video. The video falsely accused Arsen Ostrovsky, a wounded survivor of a Sydney antisemitic massacre, of being a crisis actor using makeup.

The attack took place during a Hanukkah celebration in December, resulting in 15 fatalities. Rachel Lord, a manager at Google Australia, testified that the video complied with YouTube’s standards and would remain available online.

Ostrovsky raised a complaint after facing online harassment. An image of him with a head wound circulated on the platform X shortly after the shooting. Richard Lancaster, the inquiry’s lawyer, referenced the video’s transcript without displaying its images publicly.

The video featured four individuals. They described Ostrovsky’s injury as “very crisis actor-ish” and suggested he used “makeup.” They went further to label him an “intelligence asset” with a theater degree. Additional claims in the video included accusations of the massacre being a “false flag operation.”

The shooters, identified as father-son duo Sajid and Naveed Akram, were reportedly motivated by the Islamic State group. Lancaster criticized the adequacy of YouTube’s hate speech guidelines, indicating a “serious deficiency.”

Lord responded by acknowledging the feedback. She emphasized the platform’s commitment to providing accurate information about tragic events, as communicated to Australia’s online safety regulator shortly after the massacre.

In prior testimony, Ostrovsky reported being the target of online hate, abuse, and AI manipulation since his injury on December 14. The inquiry also displayed an AI-generated image depicting Ostrovsky seemingly laughing while fake blood was applied to his head.