A judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil ordered, on Sunday April 7, the opening of an investigation against Elon Musk, owner of the X platform, who accused him of “censorship” and demanded his resignation during repeated attacks on this social network since Saturday.
In a legal ruling consulted by Agence France-Presse, magistrate Alexandre de Moraes mentioned an alleged “criminal exploitation of X” from the American billionaire, who is also boss of Space X and Tesla.
The judge also ordered “the social network, under penalty of a fine of 100,000 reais (approximately 18,300 euros) per reactivated profile. Alexandre de Moraes himself in recent years ordered the blocking of accounts on X, some being suspected of spreading disinformation. “Social networks are not lawless lands! »he insisted, in capital letters, in his legal ruling.
Saturday evening, Mr. Musk had launched a series of attacks on against this magistrate, indicating in particular that he was going to challenge his judicial decisions by “lifting all restrictions”without giving further details. “We will probably lose all our revenue in Brazil and have to close our offices there. But principles are more important than profit”, he insisted. On Sunday, he returned to the charge, affirming that judge Alexandre de Moraes should “resign or be removed” to get “brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the Constitution and the people of Brazil”.
The Lula government calls for “regulating social networks”
A divisive figure, tyrannical for some and fervent defender of democracy for others, Alexandre de Moraes is one of the eleven members of the Brazilian Supreme Court. He also chairs the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Spearheading the fight against disinformation in Brazil, he ordered the blocking of accounts of influential figures on social networks, most of them being supporters of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro (2019 -2022).
The latter was declared ineligible in June 2023 by the TSE, chaired by Alexandre de Moraes, for having disseminated false information about the Brazilian electoral system. It is also targeted by an investigation for “coup attempt” after his electoral defeat against left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in October 2022.
Shortly after Elon Musk’s first attacks against the judge on Saturday, Jorge Messias, the attorney general of Brazil, responsible for defending the interests of the Lula government, called for “urgently regulate social networks”. “We cannot live in a society where billionaires who live abroad control social media and are willing to violate the rule of law, disobeying judicial orders and threatening our authorities”, he added onwithout mentioning Mr. Musk by name.
But many supporters of Jair Bolsonaro welcomed the attitude of the American billionaire. “I hope that something historic has started: the return of freedom to our country”, said on MP Nikolas Ferreira.
Find all the episodes of the series “Elon Musk, an American hero” here.