Bolsonaro mobilizes for “freedom” after the suspension of X in Brazil

At the call of former president Jair Bolsonaro, the right br ;eacute;silienne demonstrates Saturday à Sao Paulo for "democracy" and “freedom”, in the midst of a debate on freedom of expression after the suspension of X, his social network near eacute;féré.

On this national independence day, and one month before the municipal elections, the former leader of The far right wants to show that it can still carry all its weight after leaving power at the end of 2022.

“There is no point in celebrating our independence if we are deprived of our freedom,” Bolsonaro said in a video in which he called for demonstrations “in yellow and green”, the colours of the Brazilian flag, starting at 2:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. GMT) on Paulista Avenue, the emblematic artery of Latin America's largest megalopolis.

The judicial system is expected to be widely targeted in the speeches, particularly Alexandre de Moraes, a powerful Supreme Court judge.

A bête noire of the Bolsonarists, Judge Moraes was president of the Superior Electoral Tribunal when the former head of state was sentenced last year to eight years of ineligibility for his attacks without evidence against the electronic ballot box system. He is also leading most of the multiple investigations targeting Mr. Bolsonaro.

And it was he who, last week, ordered the suspension of X, accusing the platform of American billionaire Elon Musk of having ignored a series of court decisions related to the fight against disinformation.

– “Dictator in a toga” –

X boss Elon Musk on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles (left) and Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes on June 18, 2024 in Brasilia © AFP – ETIENNE LAURENT, EVARISTO SA

Saturday's demonstration had been called even before the suspension of the old Twitter, a privileged arena for an ultra-polarized debate in Brazil.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

The right, which readily makes Elon Musk its champion, denounced the measure in the name of freedom of expression.

This suspension is a “serious blow against our freedom and our legal security,” Jair Bolsonaro denounced on LinkedIn on Thursday.

But the left wing of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defended this drastic choice.

“We will always be intolerant of anyone, regardless of wealth, who defies Brazilian law,” Lula warned in a speech on the eve of the national holiday, without naming the entrepreneur.

Democracy “is not the right to lie, to spread hatred and to violate the will of the people,” he added.

The influential evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia, one of the organizers of Saturday's demonstration, is calling for “the dismissal of the toga-clad dictator Alexandre de Moraes” — the black “toga” being the uniform of Supreme Court judges.

A request for dismissal is expected to be filed Monday in the Senate by right-wing parliamentarians. This approach, whose outcome is currently very uncertain, is supported in posts by Elon Musk.

– Scandal –

Brazil's Human Rights Minister Silvio de Almeida, during an official ceremony in Sao Paulo, April 2, 2023 © AFP – Miguel SCHINCARIOL

Saturday's meeting comes at a time when the government is weakened by its most serious scandal. Accused of sexual harassment by several women, including another minister, Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida, who denies it, was dismissed on Friday evening.

In February, a pro-Bolsonaro demonstration turned into a show of force, bringing together 185,000 people, according to an estimate by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo. Another in Rio in April was less successful.

“We will see what the true dimension of Bolsonarism is in Brazil,” Geraldo Monteiro, a political scientist at the University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), told AFP. For him, the former president is trying to “appropriate the symbols of patriotism” such as Independence Day.

M. Bolsonaro asked his supporters “not to take part in the independence commemoration ceremonies organized by the government” on Saturday.

Lula is due to attend the traditional September 7 parade in Brasilia in the morning.

All reproduction and representation rights reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse