Brazil takes 'war of words' on Elon Musk to a new level

The world's richest man, X owner Elon Musk, is fending off attacks on a growing number of fronts. His latest tiff is with Brazil and is the feistiest so far as governments move to clamp down on perceived misinformation posted on his platform.

Brazilian judge and anti-fake news crusader Alexandre de Moraes of the country's Supreme Court has shut X – formerly Twitter – down in the sprawling South American nation

The move came after Musk refused to meet a deadline imposed by Judge Moraes to appoint a legal representative for the company in Brazil, which it is obliged to do under the country’s civil code.

Previously, Moraes had ordered all social media platforms to get rid of posts that might threaten Brazil's institutions. These were generally accounts used by fans of far-right former President Bolsonaro who refused to accept that he had lost the 2022 election to current president, Lula da Silva.

The public spat between the two men ramped up as Musk cried "censorship" and threatened to reactivate the accounts. He then closed his platform's offices in Brazil, though users could still use the platform itself. Until now.

Brazilians using private channels to continue to access the platform are to be fined as much as $8,000 a day, sparking criticism that Moraes has gone too far, reports the Financial Times.

Defending his position, Moraes, who told the national communications agency on August 30 to suspend the platform in the next 24 hours, said on Reuters, "Those who violate democracy, who violate fundamental human rights, whether in person or through social media, must be held accountable."

In retaliation, Musk compared Moraes to the "Harry Potter" villain Voldemort and fumed that he was "an outright criminal of the worst kind, masquerading as a judge," according to Reuters.

Moraes is the latest powerful figure to try to reel in the anarchic tendencies espoused by the South African-born tech billionaire; Musk has also been making very powerful enemies on the old continent.

Last month, Musk became embroiled in a war of words with UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and EU commissioner Thierry Breton in the wake of the UK riots triggered by disinformation on social media.

Sir Keir blamed social media for its role in the unrest that swept across England and Wales leaving over 100 police officers injured, and called on network bosses to take action.

False information was spread on various platforms including X regarding the identity of the 17-year-old who murdered three little girls  and severely injured eight others on July 29, erroneously claiming he was a Muslim immigrant.

According to Sky News, Sir Keir posted the following statement on his X account: “Let me also say to large social media companies and those who run them: violent disorder was clearly whipped up online.”

Photo: screenshot from Sir Keir Starmer's X Account

The Prime Minister added, “That is also a crime. It is happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere.”

A self-proclaimed free speech absolutist who grew up during South Africa's apartheid regime, Elon Musk made a show of not being daunted by the Prime Minister’s remarks, instead weighing into the fray with triggering comments such as “civil war is inevitable.”

Musk followed this statement with another incendiary remark: “If incompatible cultures are brought together without assimilation, conflict is inevitable.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesman shot back saying there is "no justification for comments like that" and "anyone who is whipping up violence online will face the full force of the law".

Photo: screenshot from Sir Keir Starmer's X account

Following Musk’s X post saying: “Shouldn't you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?” the tech tycoon suggested there had been two-tier policing and dubbed the Prime Minister “#Two-Tier-Keir” on his platform.

Photo: Screenshot from Elon Musk's X account

Sir Keir Starmer's stance against Musk was reinforced by the EU commissioner, Thierry Breton who attempted to curb the kind of wily remarks that appeared to condone the right-wing violence in the UK and encourage conspiracy theories over the official response.

According to The Financial Times,  Breton ticked Musk off in a letter about the spread of “content that promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation” ahead of his interview on X with Donald Trump on August 12.

Photo: screenshot of Elon Musk's X account

The FT reports that Breton told Musk he felt “compelled to remind” him, in the wake of the UK riots, of the “due diligence obligations” set out in the EU’s Digital Services Act, which was set up to police online hate speech and disinformation.

A steadfastly resistant Musk responded promptly with a meme from the 2008 movie “Tropic Thunder” in which Les Grossman shouts: “Take a big step back and literally f*** your own face.”