New Delhi: Calling Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes “a fake judge”, tech billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday said that evidence is growing to show that he deliberately interfered in the country’s election held last year. Musk said this after de Moraes ordered to block Musk’s social media platform X nationwide, following the company’s refusal to appoint a legal representative in the country.
“There is growing evidence that fake judge Alexandre engaged in serious, repeated, and deliberate election interference in Brazil’s last presidential election,” Musk said in a post on X. He said that former Twitter employees helped him. He also called out people to share examples.
There is growing evidence that fake judge @Alexandre engaged in serious, repeated & deliberate election interference in Brazil’s last presidential election.
Under Brazilian law, that would mean up to 20 years in prison.
And, I’m sorry to say that it appears that some former…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2024
“Under Brazilian law, that would mean up to 20 years in prison. And, I’m sorry to say that it appears that some former Twitter employees were complicit in helping him do so. Anyone with examples or evidence to this effect, please reply to this post,” Musk said.
Brazil is one of the biggest markets for X, with reportedly more than 22 million users. The platform has been in conflict with de Moraes for months over the platform’s refusal to comply with court orders to remove profiles that promote coup-related content or undermine democracy, according to Xinhua news agency.
Musk also cautioned investors from investing in the country. On Saturday he said: “The oppressive regime in Brazil is so afraid of the people learning the truth that they will bankrupt anyone who tries”. The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court has also ordered X to pay fines amounting to 18 million reais (about $3.2 million) for non-compliance.
As per De Moraes, X has facilitated “the actions of extremist groups and digital militias”. The SC judge said that the platform is “enabling the spread of Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic speech”, particularly ahead of the upcoming elections.
De Moraes has also instructed the country’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block access to X within 24 hours. The Brazilian judge also gave Apple and Google five days to remove the X app from their online stores.