Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro hails Musk's 'courage' over freedom of speech at Rio rally

NEWS WIRES

21 April 2024 at 7:30 am·1-min read

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro hailed Elon Musk at a rally in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, saying the billionaire has stood up for freedom of expression -- which the former president claims is at risk in his country.

Musk, whose ownership of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has provoked widespread controversy, "is a man who really preserves freedom for all of us," the far-right leader told the rally on Rio's famed Copacabana beach.

Musk is under investigation in Brazil after he accused a Supreme Court justice this month of censoring social networks, calling him a "dictator" and vowing to disobey rulings to block users found to be spreading disinformation.

But Bolsonaro told his thousands of supporters on the beach Sunday that the billionaire "had the courage to show, with some evidence ... where our democracy was going, how much freedom we have already lost."

The 69-year-old also denounced a "dictatorship" in Brazil and called on supporters to "continue the fight" to defend freedom of expression.

The judge Musk targeted, Alexandre de Moraes, has waged a crusade against disinformation, especially attempts by far-right supporters of Bolsonaro to discredit Brazil's voting system.

(AFP)

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