The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has said he hopes the crisis surrounding the social network X in Brazil might teach the world that “it isn’t obliged to put up with [Elon] Musk’s far-right free-for-all just because he is rich”.
Lula’s comments to the network CNN Brasil came after the supreme court voted unanimously on Monday to uphold the ban on X, which is now largely inaccessible in one of its biggest global markets.
The suspension was first ordered on Friday as a result of the company’s refusal to obey court orders requiring the removal of profiles accused of spreading disinformation and for the social network to name a local legal representative.
Debate is raging in Brazil over the rights and wrongs of preventing more than 20 million X users from accessing the service – not to mention the political wisdom of doing so, amid fears the move could strengthen the country’s far-right movement by allowing it to pose as a champion of free speech.
Free speech != hate speech. Maybe in USA it does, but other countries are free to set their own laws on the subject.