Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Apr 7 (EFE). – Brazilian Congresswoman Gleisi Hoffmann, president of the Workers’ Party (PT) led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Sunday accused billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the social network X, of threatening democracy in Brazil by attacking its judiciary.
“The inappropriate and offensive statements made by US billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the X platform, attack Brazilian sovereignty and deserve the most vehement rejection,” Hoffman said in a message published on her social media accounts.
The congresswoman added that with his repeated attacks on the judiciary and the electoral court, the tycoon “directly threatens the democratic rule of law and the institutions of our country.”
Her accusation came after Musk posted a message on his X account accusing Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court and the Electoral Court of imposing censorship in Brazil with his rulings, which blocked X profiles that spread false news.
Musk had already warned on Saturday that he would disobey the judge’s decisions, even if it would result in several fines and force him to close the company in Brazil since, in his opinion, the defense of freedom of expression is more important than profits.
“X will publish everything demanded by Judge Alexandre Moraes and how those requests violate Brazilian law. This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached,” the millionaire said.
According to the PT leader, Musk’s attacks are a demonstration of his arrogance and only serve to feed the campaign of lies of former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), the leader of the Brazilian far-right and who, during the 2022 presidential campaign, questioned the reliability of the Brazilian electoral system.
Bolsonaro, who also accuses Moraes of imposing censorship in Brazil, is under investigation for an alleged coup attempt against Lula, his main political rival.
Hoffman asserted that the tycoon’s attacks “constitute a totally inappropriate interference in the political life and democracy of our country” and are proof that social networks must be subject to clear regulation.
Jorge Messias, the head of the Federal Attorney General’s Office (AGU), which is responsible for the government’s legal affairs, also urged regulation of social networks in light of Musk’s threats.
“There is an urgent need to regulate social networks. We cannot live in a society where billionaires living abroad control the networks and claim to be able to violate the rule of law, violate court orders, and threaten our authorities,” Messias said.
The dispute between Musk and Brazilian authorities began on Saturday when X reported that it had been forced to “block certain popular accounts in Brazil” by a court order.
Subsequently, the billionaire said he would lift all restrictions imposed by the judiciary, despite the possible consequences, to fight censorship. EFE
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