Elon Musk criticizes Brazilian judge over reports of blocking Starlink accounts: “Clearly criminal”

Elon Musk responded on Thursday to online reports of the Brazilian Supreme Court Alexandre de Moraes blocking Starlink financial accounts in the country. The tech billionaire, who also heads X and Tesla, called Moraes a “dictator” and an “outright criminal” in a series of tweets. Authorities have yet to comment on the reported suspension, but several social media users claim that all Starlink executives have been summoned to pay the amounts owed in Brazilian courts.

While Musk did not confirm the ban, he went on a tirade against Judge Alexandre de Moraes. “The tyrant,

@Alexandre, is dictator of Brazil. Lula is his lapdog,” he responded to a post about Starlink on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“This guy @Alexandre is a downright criminal of the worst kind posing as a judge,” the X boss said in a separate tweet.

A day earlier, Moraes ordered Elon Musk to appoint a legal representative for X in Brazil within 24 hours or face suspension from the platform, according to a court ruling. Earlier this month, the microblogging site announced plans to cease operations and fire staff in Brazil, citing “censorship orders.” Moraes’ ruling on Wednesday stressed that companies that violate internet regulations or data protection laws face temporary suspension under Brazilian law.

The Supreme Court posted a screenshot of the court decision on its X account, tagging Musk and X’s Global Government Affairs accounts. The tech billionaire tweeted that Moraes “has repeatedly broken the laws he swore to uphold.”