On Monday, Elon Musk didn’t hold back his thoughts on the Brazilian Supreme Court, taking to his X platform to call for the arrest of Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
He stated, “De Moraes deserves prison for his crimes,” on September 2, following the high court’s recent decision to uphold a ban on the social media site. This temporary ban was enacted over the weekend after Musk failed to designate a legal representative by a specified deadline. This issue dates back several months when Brazil requested the suspension of certain accounts tied to investigations into so-called digital militias accused of spreading misinformation and inciting hate. After De Moraes ruled on Friday, a court panel unanimously voted to support his decision on Monday.
Musk has openly criticized De Moraes multiple times through his X account, asserting that “he should be impeached for violating his oath of office” and claiming, “it’s only a matter of time before this criminal is behind bars,” even labeling him a “dictator.”
He had previously mentioned, “X is the most used news source in Brazil. It is what the people want. Now, the tyrant de Voldemort is crushing the people’s right to free speech.”
Additionally, the court has frozen the financial accounts of Starlink, the satellite internet service that Musk partly owns (holding 40% of it). In his ruling, Moraes mandated the immediate and complete suspension of X in Brazil until the platform adheres to all related court orders—this includes paying fines totaling 18.5 million reais (around $3.28 million) and appointing a legal representative within the country. X has argued that de Moraes is essentially pushing for the platform to name a legal representative so that authorities will have someone to arrest.
