Back in early August, Elon Musk and social media site Rumble filed suit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). The lawsuit must've had teeth, because shortly after it was filed, GARM disbanded. Which tells us Elon Musk is not a guy you want to mess around with.
But in Brazil, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes hasn't gotten that memo. He's got Elon Musk in his sights, and is threatening to shut down X in the country if Musk doesn't comply.
It started with orders to comply with de Moraes' demands for censorship and the turning over of private information, and Musk responded by closing the X office in Brazil:
The decision to close the 𝕏 office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2024
Now de Moraes is demanding Musk re-open that office and comply with his demands. Or else:
Brazil's Supreme Court Justice, Alexandre de Moraes, says he will "IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN" X if Elon Musk does not re-open the Brazil office and comply with his censorship orders. As such, Brazil is mere hours away from becoming a dictatorship without freedom of speech. https://t.co/Eafc7ovK8r
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) August 29, 2024
All at the whim of one man.
"Moraes' subpoena to Elon Musk via X is atypical and illegal, say legal experts"
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) August 29, 2024
"According to Andre Marsiglia, a constitutional lawyer and freedom of expression expert, the subpoena issued by Moraes is invalid." pic.twitter.com/8DAOEMxtUQ
The subpoena is invalid, but that's not stopping de Moraes.
Sounds familiar.
If I know Elon well, here’s his reply pic.twitter.com/gfzrznJY8I
— One D Azz (@OneTheAzz) August 29, 2024
The only acceptable response.
The New York Times calls Brazil's imminent blocking of X "one of the biggest tests yet for Mr. Musk’s efforts to mold X to his personal ideology..."
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) August 29, 2024
Personal ideology? It's called free speech.
The New York Times is a sad shell of its former self. https://t.co/ZYrx5Z9fMT pic.twitter.com/NELAR9Vqnl
The New York Times think free speech should only apply to them and the people they like.
Wait a sec, let's walk through this.
— Isaiah L. Carter (@IsaiahLCarter) August 29, 2024
Alexandre de Moraes, who literally looks like a gaucho Voldemort, says he'll shut down this platform *ENTIRELY*...if @elonmusk doesn't re-open @X's offices in Brazil and serve as that State's censorship service.
This is LAUGHABLE. https://t.co/a2SkrrOrsT
Laughed out loud at 'gaucho Voldemort'.
Well done.
Elon Musk should send a personalized note to the office of Alexandre de Moraes that's just a picture of a giant middle finger. https://t.co/Q1BiqBNmTr
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 29, 2024
That would be epic and funny.
For his part, Elon doesn't seem worried about this at all:
Grok “Generate an image as if Voldemort and a Sith Lord had a baby and he became a judge in Brazil”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 29, 2024
It’s uncanny! 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/aTdVRg9jrw
Totally uncanny.
Gosh, we adore Musk sometimes.
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