 "In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro's far-right supporters are hailing Elon Musk as a 'hero'; Here's why")
Thousands of supporters of Former Brazillian President Jair Bolsonaro took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate their “new hero” Elon Musk.
The tech-billionaire got himself embroiled in major controversies as he unleashed an attack on Bolsonaro’s arch nemesis, the Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. Since early April, Musk has hurled all sorts of criticisms against Moraes and went on to call him the Brazillian “Darth Vader”. He even compared the Supreme Court justice’s actions to those of a “brutal dictator”.
Moraes is presiding over the ongoing investigation of cases against Bolosonaro. These cases include the alleged coup plot that preceded the right-wing insurrection in Brasília on 8 January 2023. If the ex-President is found guilty he will be facing a long prison sentence.
What did Musk say about Moraes?
In one his of his tweets, Musk accused the Supreme Court justice of betraying the “Brazilian constitution”. “This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached,” the Tesla CEO wrote on X, formally known as Twitter.
Coming shortly, 𝕏 will publish everything demanded by @Alexandre and how those requests violate Brazilian law.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2024
This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached.
Shame @Alexandre, shame.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn response to this, Moraes initiated an inquiry into the “online dissemination of fake news”. Not only this, Brazil’s first lady Janja Lula da Silva, has accused X of being part of “a coordinated operation against democracy”.
The attacks from Musk came amid reports that Moraes has instructed social media firms including X to block dozens of accounts belonging to the allies or supporters of Bolsonaro.
He has also ordered the arrest of a series of figures linked to the ex-president.
How Musk became the ‘hero’ of Brazil’s right
On Sunday, the billionaire’s images and name were flaunted everywhere by Bolsonaro’s followers. The supporters congregated on Rio’s Copacabana beach to pay homage to both men.
In light of this, a succession of rightwing politicians and preachers have also lauded the SpaceX CEO.
“Elon Musk is definitely watching what is happening here right now,” the pro-Bolsonaro congressman Gustavo Gayer told the crowd in Portuguese, The Guardian reported.
He eventually switched to English to send a message to people around the world. “This is a message to the world,” Gayer bellowed. “Look at what is happening here in Brazil today. What you see here are freedom-loving people who are fighting for democracy.”
Bolsonaro joins the fanfest
During the demonstration, the erstwhile Brazillian president also lauded Musk. He declared, “[Musk] is a man who truly cares about the freedom of all of us.”
“He is the man who had the courage to show … the direction our democracy was going in and how much freedom we have lost,” Bolsonaro said, before asking the crowd to chant Musk’s name.
Bolsonaro served as the president of the South American nation from 2019 to 2023. However, he has now been banned from running for office and is facing a series of criminal investigations, the most serious of which relates to the alleged attempt to overthrow the government after his 2022 election defeat to the current President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Last year, a congressional inquiry claimed that Bolsonaro had been the “mentor of a wilful and premeditated coup attempt” that would have plunged the democracy in Brazil.
However, the far-right leads has denied those claims and urged his supporters that they have to “fight”. “We have to fight. Otherwise we will go to the slaughterhouse like lambs,” Bolsonaro told the charged-up crowd.
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