The judge imposed daily fines of up to 8,000 euros on individuals or companies that resort to alternative measures to circumvent the ban and access X, formerly known as the social network Twitter and is now owned by tycoon Elon Musk. The company, which is being sued in Brazil for a €2.9 million fine for failing to remove content, had already assumed that it was only a matter of hours before De Moraes ordered the shutdown. In a statement, he warned that “he will not comply with illegal orders to censor political opponents.”
Musk, who had accused Lula da Silva in recent hours of being the Supreme Court judge’s “lapdog”, attacked De Moraes again after the confirmation of the blockade. “Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” he said. The American tycoon also directly criticized the threat of a fine against those who try to access X: “Brazil’s repressive regime is so afraid of people knowing the truth that it will lead to ruin for those who try.”
Elon Musk’s response
Musk has denounced that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes violated national law by ordering the suspension of the platform in retaliation for not appointing a legal representative at the South American giant in the context of the long-running confrontation between the magistrate and the South African tycoon.
Musk assured that he would begin publishing, starting tomorrow Sunday, the “long list of crimes” committed by the magistrate, accompanied by a list of “Brazilian laws that he has broken” with his opinion. “It is clear that you are not obliged to respect the laws of the United States, but you must respect those of your own country,” Musk said in a chain of messages published on his social network account, where he accused the magistrate of being “a dictator and an impostor.”
“The Brazilian people will know their crimes. “No matter how hard you try to prevent it,” the tycoon added, before assuring that “X is the most used source of information in Brazil and that is what people want.” The tycoon announced almost two weeks ago the “immediate” closure of the company’s subsidiary in Brazil due to De Moraes’ “censorship orders,” which he called “a shame for Brazilian justice.”
The judge had ordered the blocking of some accounts of “digital militias” under investigation for spreading false news during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), but these orders have not been executed. Musk is under investigation for alleged crimes of obstruction of justice, criminal organization and incitement to crime, according to a statement.
