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Thousands of people in Brazil took part in an Independence Day rally called by members of the right-wing opposition party to protest against a Supreme Court judge banning Elon Musk’s social media platform X in the country.
Participants in a demonstration on Saturday in Sao Paulo wore yellow and green – the colours of the national flag – and carried posters calling for the impeachment of controversial judge Alexandre de Moraes over his widespread crackdown on digital disinformation.
“I’m here today for freedom of expression. The constitution is being violated,” said Mayara Ribeira, a 25-year-old radiologist wearing a Brazil soccer team shirt. “The judges should be impeached.”
X was taken offline about a week ago in Latin America’s most populous country after it ignored a court order to block certain accounts it suspected of spreading false information, many of them supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The move marks an escalation in a months-long dispute between Musk and Moraes over the takedown order, with the tech entrepreneur accusing Moraes of censorship.
“I don’t want anyone to be silenced, whether they’re on the left or the right,” said Elaine Nunez, a 58-year-old retiree from the neighboring state of Minas Gerais. “I’m happy that Elon Musk has brought international attention to what’s happening in Brazil.”
The case has become a focal point of the global debate about free speech online and has energized Brazil’s populist conservative movement, which says it has been unfairly targeted by the judge.
Moraes’ supporters say his actions are necessary to protect democracy from fake news, but his opponents accuse him of undermining freedoms.
Speakers at the event on Paulista Avenue urged senators to launch an impeachment against the judge, who has also been the subject of widespread criticism that Brazil’s Supreme Court has overstepped its legal bounds.
They also called for amnesty for those arrested in connection with the Jan. 8, 2023, attack on a government building in Brasilia by Bolsonaro extremists.
Many in the mob called for a military coup against leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in elections last year.
“I hope that the Federal Senate will stop this dictator, Alexandre de Moraes, who is doing more harm to Brazil than Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva himself,” Bolsonaro said in his speech.
The former president has faced numerous Supreme Court investigations during his time in office, including an allegation that he attempted a coup to stay in power (which was never carried out).
The suspension of Company X was triggered by the company’s failure to meet a deadline set by Moraes to appoint new legal representatives 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 trying to create an environment of “total impunity” and “lawlessness” on social media in Brazil.
Cleomar de Sousa of consultancy Dharma Political Risk said impeachment of the judges was unlikely for now, adding: “It’s likely to be a long-term battle between Moraes and political forces both in Brazil and abroad.”
