Musk cannot behave how he likes because of his wealth: Lula
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Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned US billionaire Musk on Wednesday that if he does not name a legal representative for X in the country within 24 hours, the court will suspend its operations.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars after a visit to Gruenheide near Berlin on March 13, 2024. (AP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on Friday that US tech billionaire Elon Musk must follow the country's regulations following a recent Supreme Court judgment regarding the billionaire and his enterprises.
Elon Musk's X social media platform announced on Friday that it will not comply with "illegal orders" issued by a Brazilian court and anticipates being shut down in the country.
Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned US billionaire Musk on Wednesday that if he does not name a legal representative for X in the country within 24 hours, the court will suspend its operations.
This came after Musk's recent announcement that he would cease X operations in Brazil in response to what he described as the judge's "censorship orders."
During a radio interview, Lula mentioned that Musk "has to respect the decision by the Supreme Court," citing that he is "a US citizen. He’s not a citizen of the world. He can’t keep on offending presidents, lawmakers … or the Supreme Court. Who does he think he is?”
Lula went on to say that any foreign person with investments in Brazil must follow the Brazilian Constitution and regulations, detailing on X that just because a person is wealthy "it doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants."
Musk proposed Moraes quit in early April, accusing him of repeatedly breaking the Brazilian constitution and pledging to reveal his requests to delete content from the social media platform. In response, a Brazilian court requested an inquiry into Musk in light of the claims against the judge.
Less than a day ago, Musk posted on X that Moraes is "an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge."
Alexandre de Moraes is an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge. https://t.co/ZIV8KbDCmk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024
'Freedom of expression... not freedom of aggression'
Moraes has led the charge against disinformation in Brazil, where he also presides over the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
In April, the Supreme Court judge initiated an investigation into Musk, accusing him of “criminally instrumentalizing” X by reactivating banned accounts. He also threatened the platform's CEO with a fine of approximately $20,000 per violation.
"Social networks are not lands without laws," Moraes stated.
The judge had also previously ordered the suspension of several accounts on Twitter accused of spreading disinformation, particularly those of supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who attempted to undermine confidence in the voting system after losing the 2022 presidential election.
"Freedom of expression doesn't mean freedom of aggression," Moraes said, "It doesn't mean the freedom to defend tyranny."
