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Thousands of Brazilians joined an independence day protest called by members of the right-wing opposition to protest a supreme court judge who banned Elon Musk’s social media platform X in the country.
Dressed in yellow and green, protesters in São Paulo held placards demanding the removal of judge Alexandre de Moraes, who has become controversial for his sweeping crackdown on online misinformation.
“I came here today to support freedom of expression. The constitution is being violated,” said Mayara Ribeira, 25, a radiologist wearing a Brazilian soccer jersey. “The judge should be impeached.”
X ceased operations in Latin America’s most populous country more than a week ago after ignoring a court order to block several accounts suspected of spreading false information, many belonging to supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The event marked an escalation of a months-long dispute over content takedown orders between Musk and Moraes, whom the tech entrepreneur has accused of censorship.
“I don’t want anyone to be silenced, whether they’re left or right,” said Elayne Nunes, 58, a retiree from the neighboring state of Minas Gerais. “I’m glad Elon Musk brought international attention to what’s happening in Brazil.”
The case has become a flashpoint in the global debate over free speech online and has energized Brazil’s populist conservative movement, which says it was unfairly targeted by the judge.
Moraes’ allies say his actions are necessary to protect democracy from fake news, but opponents accuse him of eroding freedoms.
Speakers at the event on Avenida Paulista called on senators to impeach the judge, who has also been the target of widespread criticism that Brazil’s supreme court is overstepping its legal bounds.
They also called for amnesty for those arrested in connection with the storming of government buildings in Brasília on January 8, 2023 by radical Bolsonaro supporters.
Many rioters called for a military coup against leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in last year’s election.
“I hope that the federal Senate will stop the dictator Alexandre de Moraes, who has done more harm to Brazil than Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,” Bolsonaro said on stage.
The former president has faced several supreme court investigations since he was in office, including an alleged coup plot – never carried out – to stay in power.
The suspension was due to the company’s failure to meet a deadline set by Moraes to appoint a new legal representative in the country, as required by local law. Musk closed the company’s local office last month in protest of the judge’s order.
In his decision to block access to the platform, Moraes said X was seeking to create an environment of “total impunity” and a “lawless land” on Brazilian social media.
Creomar de Souza at the consultancy Dharma Political Risk said the chances of the judge’s impeachment were low at the moment: “It seems we are about to witness a long battle between Moraes and political forces in Brazil and abroad.”
