Brazil's X ban drives outraged Bolsonaro supporters to rally for 'free speech'

SAO PAULO (AP) — Thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flooded Sao Paulo’s main boulevard for an Independence Day rally Saturday, buoyed by the government's blocking of tech billionaire Elon Musk's X platform, a ban they say is proof of their political persecution.

A few thousand demonstrators, clad in the yellow-and-green colors of Brazil's flag, poured onto Av. Paulista. References to the ban on X and images of Musk abounded.

“Thank you for defending our freedom,” read one banner praising the tech entrepreneur.

Saturday’s march was seen as a test of Bolsonaro’s capacity to mobilize turnout ahead of the October municipal elections, even though Brazil's electoral court has barred him from running for office until 2030. It's also something of a referendum on X, whose suspension has raised eyebrows even among some of Bolsonaro's opponents all the while stoking the flames of Brazil's deep-seated political polarization.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered X’s nationwide ban on Aug. 30 after months of feuding with Musk over the limits of free speech. The powerful judge has spearheaded efforts to ban far-right users from spreading misinformation on social media, and he ramped up his clampdown after die-hard Bolsonaro supporters ransacked Congress and the presidential palace on Jan. 8, 2023, in an attempt to overturn Bolsonaro's defeat in the presidential election.

On Saturday, Bolsonaro called Moraes a “dictator” and called on Brazil's Senate to impeach the judge. He also repeated the false claim that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had colluded with the judiciary to steal the 2022 election.

“They want to censor the truth, so the people don't know the truth,” Bolsonaro, with a raspy voice from a virus that sent him to the hospital earlier in the day, told the crowd.

Such comments are red meat to Bolsonaro’s supporters, who have lauded Musk's defiance of Brazil's judiciary.

“Elon Musk has been a warrior for freedom of speech,” staunch Bolsonaro ally and lawmaker Bia Kicis said in an interview. “The right is being oppressed, massacred, because the left doesn’t want the right to exist.”

“Our liberties are in danger, we need to make our voices heard. De Moraes is a tyrant, he should be impeached, and people on the streets is the only thing that will convince politicians to do it,” added retiree Amaro Santos as he walked down the thoroughfare Saturday,

Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” has also urged Brazilians to turn out in droves for the rally, resharing someone else's post claiming that X’s ban had awakened people “to the fact that freedom isn’t free and needs to be fought for.” He's also created an X account, named for the controversial jurist, to publish sealed court orders directing X to shut down accounts deemed unlawful.

But De Moraes' decision to ban X was far from arbitrary, having been upheld by fellow Supreme Court justices. And while expression, online and elsewhere, faces more prohibitions under Brazil's laws than in the U.S., Musk has emerged as both a cause célèbre and a mouthpiece for unrestricted free speech.

Since 2019, X has shut down 226 accounts of far-right activities accused of undermining Brazil's democracy, including those of lawmakers affiliated with Bolsonaro’s party, according to court records.

But when it refused to take action on some accounts, de Moraes warned last month that its legal representative could be arrested, prompting X to disband its local office. The U.S.-based company refused to name a new representative — as required in order to receive court notices — and de Moraes ordered its nationwide suspension until it did so.

A Supreme Court panel unanimously upheld de Moraes’ decision to block X days later, undermining Musk's efforts to cast him as an authoritarian bent on censoring political speech.

The more controversial component of his ruling was the levy of a whopping $9,000 daily fine for regular Brazilians using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X.

“Some of these measures that have been adopted by the Supreme Court appear to be quite onerous and abusive,” said Andrei Roman, CEO of Brazil-based pollster Atlas Intel.

In the lead-up to Saturday's protest, some right-wing politicians defied de Moraes’ ban and brazenly used a VPN to publish posts on X, calling for people to partake in the protests.

The march in Sao Paulo is organized in parallel to official events to celebrate Brazil’s anniversary of independence from Portugal. Commemorations have been fraught with tension in recent years, as Bolsonaro used them while in office to rally supporters and show political strength.

Three years ago, he threatened to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis when he declared he would no longer abide de Moraes' rulings. He has since toned down the attacks — a reflection of his own delicate legal situation.

Bolsonaro has been indicted twice since his term ended in 2022, most recently for alleged money laundering in connection with undeclared diamonds from Saudi Arabia. De Moraes is overseeing an investigation into the Jan. 8 riot, including whether Bolsonaro had a role in inciting it.

Associated Press writers Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed to this report. Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.

Demonstrators take part in a demonstration calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Demonstrators take part in a protest calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Demonstrators take part in a protest calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Demonstrators take part in a protest calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

A demonstrator, his mouth covered with tape marked with the Brazilian Supreme Court acronym, takes part in a protest calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

A protester, dressed to depict Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes wearing a diaper, takes part in a protest calling for the impeachment of de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk's social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Demonstrators take part in a protest calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently imposed a nationwide block on Elon Musk's social media platform X, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

ROME (AP) — Forget about the Tinkerman. Claudio Ranieri is the Derbyman now.

Ranieri extended his perfect record in the capital derby as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A on Sunday to give the Giallorossi a much-needed boost in what has been a difficult season.

Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener with a curling shot from the edge of the area and Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a counterattack to give Roma a two-goal advantage after 18 minutes.

Ranieri improved his record to five wins in five derbies as Roma’s coach. He’s the team’s third manager this season after Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric were both fired. His other derby wins came during his first stint as Roma’s coach from 2009-11. He also coached his hometown club briefly in 2019.

Ranieri has also won the three other big derbies in Italy in Milan, Turin and Genoa as coach of Inter Milan, Juventus and Sampdoria, respectively.

Ranieri is best known for shocking the soccer world by leading Leicester to a Premier League title in 2016 but he was also ridiculed at times in England for his tendency to rotate his players regularly, hence the Tinkerman moniker.

Ranieri helped Cagliari avoid relegation last season and had said that would be his final club job but he couldn’t turn down Roma when he was called in to restore order in November. Ranieri's contract calls for him to step up into an executive role after this season, from which he'll have a say who will be the teams' next coach.

Roma, which has won three of its last five in Serie A, moved up to 10th place. Lazio remained fourth.

Pellegrini has been subjected to severe criticism by Roma’s fans this season, and his goal lifted the pressure off of Roma.

A car went up in flames outside the Stadio Olimpico about an hour before kickoff after being struck by fireworks as rival fans attempted to approach each other.

Also Sunday, Cagliari came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at last-place Monza with scores from Nadir Zortea and Roberto Piccoli.

Torino-Parma and Lecce-Genoa each finished 0-0.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Roma's Alexis Saelemaekers, right, shakes hands with Roma's head coach Claudio Ranieri, left, and leaves the pitch after being substituted during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Roma's Evan Ndicka, right, duels for the ball with Lazio's Gustav Isaksen during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini, left, kicks the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Lazio's Alessio Romagnoli reacts during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Roma's Alexis Saelemaekers, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini, center, scores his side's opening goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Roma's head coach Claudio Ranieri looks on during warm up before a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)