After X-blocking: Bolsonaro leads demonstration against judge

After the blocking of the online platform X in Brazil, former President Jair Bolsonaro mobilized thousands of supporters for a street protest against the judge responsible, Alexandre de Moraes. At a rally on Brazilian Independence Day on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo, Bolsonaro called for impeachment proceedings against Moraes. He called the Supreme Federal Court judge a “dictator.”

On August 30, Moraes ordered the shutdown of X in the South American country. He accuses the Twitter successor service of not being decisive enough in combating the spread of hate speech and fake news. X owner Elon Musk, who himself now represents political right-wing positions, sees himself as a defender of free speech and accuses Moraes of censorship.

The judge had ordered X to block the accounts of right-wing activists who spread conspiracy theories and false information. Musk described this as illegal, but the US platform did not comply with the request – and did not pay the imposed fine. The billionaire also missed a deadline to name a legal representative for X in Brazil.

In April, Moraes had already initiated an investigation against Musk himself for obstruction of justice and incitement to criminal acts. Bolsonaro then held a rally “in defense of freedom of expression” on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in front of thousands of supporters.

Especially during Bolsonaro’s term in office (2019-2022), supporters of the right-wing head of state organized smear campaigns against political opponents and spread false information and hate speech on social networks. A so-called hate cabinet in Bolsonaro’s presidential office is said to have organized smear campaigns against political opponents and sowed doubts about the Brazilian electoral system.

At the demonstration on Saturday, the former head of state also repeatedly called for an amnesty for his supporters who were sentenced to prison for the attack on the government district in Brasília on January 8, 2023. Several investigations are also underway against Bolsonaro. Among other things, the police accuse the ex-military man of being involved in plans for a coup in order to stay in power after his election defeat in October 2022. He is barred from holding public office until 2030.