![[FILE] Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks during the opening ceremony of the 27th São Paulo International Book Biennial, which this year has Colombia as the guest of honor, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 05 September 2024. EFE/FILE/Isaac Fontana](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/rss-efe687faa5c9f4e510fdfce6b8ac527504ed35861eaw.jpg?fit=1920%2C1281&ssl=1)
Brasilia, Sep 6 (EFE).- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has once again criticized billionaire Elon Musk for refusing to comply with the country’s Supreme Court decisions.
“No country is truly independent if it tolerates threats to its sovereignty. We will not tolerate anyone, no matter how powerful and wealthy, who challenges Brazilian law,” Lula said in a televised statement on Friday ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
Though Lula did not mention Musk by name, his remarks were widely seen as a reference to the businessman’s refusal to comply with rulings from Brazil’s Supreme Court. This led to the court suspending operations of the X platform (formerly Twitter) in Brazil.
Last week, Lula had urged Musk to adopt a «different attitude» regarding the Brazilian judiciary’s demands to suspend accounts on X that spread hate speech and anti-democratic messages.
“Anyone investing in Brazil, no matter where they are from, is subject to the Brazilian constitution and laws,” Lula said previously, adding that Musk, despite his wealth, must «respect» the country’s authorities and “accept the rules.”
Just because he has a lot of money, he cannot «disrespect» and «offend» the country’s authorities, Lula said.
In response to Musk’s refusal to remove profiles under investigation for spreading anti-democratic content, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of X in Brazil. The decision was later unanimously upheld by a five-judge bench of the court.
Justice De Moraes accused X of “repeated disregard” for court orders and claimed that this allowed the platform to promote the “massive dissemination of Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic content,” which has been central to investigations against far-right activists in Brazil.
In his statement on Friday, Lula condemned the spread of anti-democratic messages online, asserting that democracy does not give the right to «lie, spread hatred, or undermine the will of the people.”
Referring to the attempted coup on January 8, 2023, by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula said Brazil proved itself to be a nation «where freedom reigns, but not a lawless land.» EFE
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