Francisco Carlos, a businessman draped in Brazil’s flag at a São Paulo protest, echoed these sentiments, stating, “Our freedom is at stake…they used to burn books to silence people, now they ban social media.” Carlos, once an avid user of X, called for the impeachment of de Moraes, a sentiment shared by many protesters.
São Paulo Erupts in Protest
Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, dressed in Brazil’s national colors of green and yellow, took to the streets. Street vendors sold flags bearing Musk’s face and T-shirts depicting de Moraes in jail, while heavily armed police watched over the massive gathering.
The atmosphere was charged with political fervor as demonstrators handed out election flyers and chanted for free speech.
The protests were as much about Musk as they were about the future of Brazil’s political landscape.
A report from The Wall Street Journal captured the tone of the demonstrations. Valter Viniz, a party supply store owner, was quoted as saying, “We consider Musk a Brazilian now…a superhero.” He went on to call Musk “the only guy who was brave enough to take on that charlatan,” referring to de Moraes.
The Impact of Ban on Elon Musk’s X
According to reports, 22 million Brazilians were active on the platform, with over 200,000 signing up in August.
