Salazar Supports Free Speech in Brazil, Defends Elon Musk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) exposed Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for censoring opposition voices on social media in a hearing about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Brazil. She also defended Elon Musk from unprecedented Brazilian censorship.
The Supreme Court in Brazil under Justice de Moraes has engaged in a prolonged legal siege against X (formerly Twitter) and other social media companies like Rumble in the name of protecting democracy. Elon Musk’s commitment to protecting free speech, even at the expense of potential profit, is an example to all who believe in democracy.
“Brazil not only has a felon convicted of political corruption as President, Lula da Silva, but now has a totalitarian operator as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes,” said Chairwoman Salazar. “Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, has become a target of the highest court because he is fighting against de Moraes’ curtailing of the most fundamental rights of the Brazilian people: the right to free speech. The Brazilian people deserve a lot better.”
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has usurped congressional powers to silence the Brazilian opposition that rallied around former President Jair Bolsonaro during and after the 2022 presidential election.
In response to legal requirements imposed on social media companies operating in Brazil to restrict speech the government doesn’t like, Elon Musk directed his company to fight these restrictions in the Brazilian courts. Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger testified that Musk and X grew fed up with the “illegitimate, unconstitutional, and illegal requests for censorship.”
Brazilian journalist Paulo Figueiredo highlighted that the U.S. Congress must continue to shine a light on the corruption within President Lula’s administration and to recommit to protecting opposition voices against arbitrary restrictions.
As a former journalist, Rep. Salazar has dedicated her life to protecting the fundamental democratic right to free speech and a free press. To listen to her full remarks and line of questioning at the hearing, click here.
Congresswoman Salazar represents thousands of Brazilian-Americans in Florida’s 27th Congressional District and is a defender of free speech across the globe.
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