Tens of thousands of Brazilians demonstrated in the centre of Sao Paulo against the Supreme Court’s decision to block the social network X in the country, write the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.
The protests were associated with a demonstration by supporters of the former president. Jair Bolsonaro On Independence Day they wore the national colors: yellow and green.
“A country without freedom has nothing to celebrate on this day… we are dealing with a government that is on the side of dictators and opposes what we hold most dear: our freedom,” – Bolsonaro said.
Dozens of conservative politicians joined the protests, many of whom accused the Supreme Court of trying to censor the right-wing opposition ahead of municipal elections on October 6 that will elect mayors and deputies in thousands of towns. They called on senators to begin impeachment proceedings against the judge. Alexandra de Moraeswhich made a controversial decision, and amnesty arrested Bolsonaro supporters for storming government buildings on January 8, 2023.
The Supreme Court’s decision has divided Brazilian society: a poll by AtlasIntel showed that almost 51% disagreed, while just over 48% supported it.
Judge Moraes ordered access to X blocked in Brazil in late August, and imposed fines of $9,000 a day for using the social network through a VPN. He also froze accounts for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in an attempt to collect a $3 million fine against X.
Conflict between Elon Musk and the Supreme Court lasted several months. It erupted after Musk refused to block the accounts of conservative politicians at Moraes’ request.
“We will not be able to explain our actions (to block politicians) without feeling ashamed,” — he explained, pointing out that the judge violated the principle of freedom of expression.
X then refused to appoint a representative in Brazil in accordance with the law.
Moraes believes that X seeks to create a climate of “total impunity” and a “territory of anarchy” on Brazilian social media ahead of municipal elections next month. Supporters of the judge consider his actions necessary to protect democracy from fake news. Brazilian president Lula da Silva He praised Moraes and called his actions regarding Musk an example for the rest of the world.
Musk responded by insisting that the judge had gone too far, accusing him of censorship and abuse of power. He asked for the seizure of Brazilian assets in the United States, RBC recalls.
