Brazilian President Lula reacts to Elon Musk: We are not obligated to tolerate Musk's right-wing rhetoric
Tensions are escalating in Brazil between the government and the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that this crisis shows that 'the world is not obligated to tolerate Musk's far-right rhetoric.'
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The 'X' tension between the South American nation of Brazil and billionaire businessman Elon Musk continues. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke to CNN Brazil regarding the issue, following the Supreme Court panel's unanimous decision to block access to X in the country due to the company's refusal to appoint a legal representative.
As reported by The Guardian, President Lula da Silva, referring to X owner Musk, said that the 'X' crisis in Brazil could teach the world that 'there is no obligation to tolerate Musk's free-for-all far-right rhetoric just because he is rich.' In a post on Tuesday, September 3, Elon Musk called for a protest to be held on Saturday, stating that Brazilians would 'march for freedom,' 'protest against legal erosion,' and 'defend free speech' in response to the access ban.
MUSK HAD SUPPORTED BOLSONARO SUPPORTERS
A day earlier, Musk had made a post regarding a march by supporters of Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Following Lula's election as president, Bolsonaro supporters had stormed a series of government buildings, primarily the Congress building, and an investigation had been opened into Bolsonaro on allegations of a 'coup attempt.' In his post, Musk referred to Bolsonaro supporters, claiming that 'patriotic Brazilians' would 'flood' the financial center of São Paulo and that the protesters would demand the removal of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who issued the decision to block access to X.
Musk also described the access ban imposed on X as part of a 'dictatorial leftist conspiracy led by Moraes' aimed at silencing conservative voices in the country.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In Brazil, the Supreme Court had requested that X provide data on certain individuals and block specific accounts as part of the 'coup attempt' investigation being conducted into Bolsonaro. Musk did not comply with this court request and closed X's office in Brazil. The Brazilian Supreme Court had given X 24 hours to appoint a legal representative in the country, announcing that otherwise, an access ban would be imposed on the platform.