In a throwdown with a South American “dictator” over free speech, Elon Musk teased his next move once employees were moved “to a safe place…”
Since the return to office of former president and convicted felon President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly referred to as Lula, concern over a shift toward totalitarianism in Brazil has been on the rise. Opposing such ends, self-declared “free speech absolutist” Musk found himself and social media platform X at odds with Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes who has threatened the arrest of employees for failure to comply with restrictions.
Faced with a criminal probe over alleged “fake news” and the likelihood of having access to the platform in Brazil shut down, cries for clarity on the crusading judge’s actions were met with a promise from Musk after employee protection was assured.
Responding to Brazilian legislator Nikolas Ferreira, a supporter of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, the tech entrepreneur said, “We need to get our employees in Brazil to a safe place or otherwise not in a position of responsibility, then we will do a full data dump. They have been told they will be arrested.”
They have been told they will be arrested
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2024
Ferreria had remarked, “Elon said that Alexandre has Lula on a leash and that he put his finger on the scale to elect him. As a member of the Brazilian congress and representing millions of people, I ask you to give us more information. This will be crucial for the future of our country.”
As had been reported, Musk had detailed over the weekend how fines had been imposed, the threats of arrest had been presented and he expected to have to shut down the office in Brazil and lose all revenue in the country while the judge allegedly insisted “that X pretend the suspension was for violating our terms of service! We obey the laws of countries even if we disagree with them, but this required violating the laws of Brazil,”
“But principles matter more than profit,” affirmed the billionaire.
Justice de Moraes considered the Tesla CEO’s remarks part of a public “disinformation campaign” over alleged violations of the Brazilian constitution while Musk urged users to utilize virtual private networks (VPN) in the event access to X was closed off.
Reactions to Musk’s promise to expose the “Brazilian Twitter Files” included social media users and politicians alike as one account wrote, “Elon Musk just said he’s getting his employees in Brazil to a safe space and then they’re dumping all the data to expose the crooks in Brazil! I can’t wait to see the crooks all go down!”
Elon Musk just said he’s getting his employees in Brazil to a safe space and then they’re dumping all the data to expose the crooks in Brazil!
I can’t wait to see the crooks all go down!
— Travis (@Travis_in_Flint) April 9, 2024
At length, Brazilian legislator Marcel van Hattem shared a video of himself and journalist Michael Shellenberger with a statement extending his “deepest gratitude” to Musk.
“You are representing millions of Brazilians who oppose censorship and tyranny far better than their elected representatives, who still refuse to investigate and impeach Supreme Court justices,” he said in part and added, including himself among the censored, “There are currently thousands of Brazilians persecuted by Moraes: ordinary citizens censored, with their assets illegally frozen; journalists and judges exiled, with their passports seized by Mr. Moraes without justification; lawyers denied access to their clients’ cases; hundreds still imprisoned without due process, let alone conviction.”
As a member of the Brazilian Congress who has been exposing and combatting the abuses of our Supreme Court for years, I want to express my deepest gratitude to @elonmusk.
Elon, you are currently aiding Brazil more than many members of the Brazilian House and Senate. You are… pic.twitter.com/dwp29ZXaCS
— Marcel van Hattem (@marcelvanhattem) April 8, 2024
Additional shots against de Moraes had Musk state, “He is the Dictator of Brazil, but, for some reason, doesn’t want to be thought of that way…Why not just own it…” as he shared a meme that declared “You’re a tyrant.”
He is the Dictator of Brazil, but, for some reason, doesn’t want to be thought of that way ♂️
Why not just own it …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2024
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2024
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Author: Kevin Haggerty
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