Elon Musk hits out at judge threatening to suspend X in Brazil

In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Elon Musk has unleashed a barrage of criticism against a Brazilian Supreme Court judge who has threatened to suspend the social media platform X. Referring to Justice Alexandre de Moraes as 'an evil dictator,' Musk's remarks underscore the ongoing conflict between the two figures. The tension escalated when de Moraes issued an ultimatum to Musk, demanding the appointment of a new legal representative for X in Brazil and the settlement of outstanding daily fines within a tight 24-hour deadline. In response, Musk tweeted, 'Alexandre de Moraes is an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge,' adding fuel to an already contentious relationship. This feud centers around issues of free speech and allegations of disinformation, with Musk previously labeling de Moraes as 'Darth Vader.' X’s Global Government Affairs team also announced plans to publish the judge’s 'illegal demands and all related court filings' soon. Brazil represents a significant market for social media, with approximately 40 million users engaging with X monthly, or about 18% of the country's population. Earlier this month, X declared it would cease operations and lay off employees in Brazil due to what it termed 'censorship orders' from de Moraes, who had mandated the blocking of several accounts he claimed were disseminating false information. The Supreme Court's statement, shared on its official X account and signed by de Moraes, gave Musk until Thursday evening local time to respond. The court’s demands have ignited further outrage from Musk, who reiterated that the company had 'no choice' but to shut down its Brazilian operations to protect its staff from potential legal repercussions. Musk stated, 'Due to demands by “Justice” Alexandre [de Moraes] in Brazil that would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law, X has no choice but to close our local operations in Brazil.' He expressed deep regret over the decision, placing the responsibility squarely on de Moraes for the situation.