Sao Paulo, Brazil AP —
Encouraged by the government’s obstruction of tech tycoon Elon Musk’s X platform, which they claim is evidence of their political persecution, supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro started pouring onto Sao Paulo’s major avenue on Saturday for an Independence Day demonstration.
Several thousand protestors flooded Av. Paulista, donning the green and yellow hues of Brazil’s flag. Images of Musk and references to the ban on X were everywhere.
“We are grateful that you are protecting our freedom,” one banner honoring the tech mogul said.
Bolsonaro’s ability to organize support for the October local elections will be put to the test on Saturday, even though Brazil’s electoral court has forbidden him from seeking office until 2030. Furthermore, it functions as a sort of referendum on X, whose suspension
After months of a public spat between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes on the bounds of free speech, X was banned countrywide on August 30 by the Supreme Court. The influential judge has been leading the charge to prevent far-right users from disseminating false information on social media, and he intensified his enforcement after ardent supporters of Bolsonaro stormed Congress and the presidential residence on January 8, 2023, in an effort to reverse Bolsonaro’s loss in the presidential election.
Bolsonaro’s allies see the prohibition with disapproval, claiming that the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the judiciary are working together to stifle their movement.
In an interview, ardent supporter of Bolsonaro and politician Bia Kicis declared, “Elon Musk has been a warrior for freedom of speech.” “There is oppression of the right,
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Our freedoms are in jeopardy, so we must speak up. Walk down the highway on Saturday, retiree Amaro Santos continued, “De Moraes is a tyrant, he should be impeached, and people on the streets is the only thing that will convince politicians to do it.”
Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” has also encouraged Brazilians to attend the demonstration in large numbers by reposting a message from someone else that said X’s ban had made people “aware that freedom isn’t free and needs to be fought for.” Additionally, he set up an account on X—named after the contentious jurist—to post sealed court rulings telling X to close down accounts that are thought to be illegal.
De Moraes’ judgment to prohibit X, however, was supported by other justices of the Supreme Court, therefore it was by no means capricious. And while Brazil’s rules make it easier to ban speech—both online and off—than they do in the US, Musk has become a symbol of unfettered free speech as well as a cause célèbre.
According to court documents, since 2019, X has removed 226 accounts related to far-right activities that are alleged to be harming Brazil’s democracy. These accounts include those of MPs who are associated with Bolsonaro’s party.
However, de Moraes threatened to have its legal representative imprisoned last month when X declined to act on some accounts, which led X to close its local office. De Moraes ordered the nationwide suspension of the US-based corporation until it named a new representative, as required to receive court orders. The US-based company refused to comply.
Days later, a panel of the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed de Moraes’ decision to block X, contradicting Musk’s attempts to paint him as an authoritarian intent on suppressing political speech.
The more contentious aspect of his decision was the imposition of an enormous daily fee of $9,000 on common Brazilians who used virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X.
“A few of these Supreme Court-adopted measures seem to be quite onerous and abusive,” stated Andrei Roman, CEO of Atlas Intel, a pollster located in Brazil.
Before the demonstration on Saturday, a few right-wing politicians shamelessly published messages on X encouraging people to participate in the protests, despite de Moraes’ prohibition. They did this by using a VPN.
In conjunction with formal celebrations of Brazil’s anniversary of independence from Portugal, a march is arranged in parallel in São Paulo. In recent years, commemorations have been tense because Bolsonaro utilized them as a political tool to energize followers and demonstrate his power.
He said he would no longer follow de Moraes’ constitutional authority three years ago, threatening to throw the nation into a constitutional crisis.
