Elon Musk picks a new battle, this time with a Brazilian Judge over Starlink, X

Nearly a month after quarrelling with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro over the alleged rigging of votes in the elections there, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has now turned his attention to another South American country¡ªBrazil. Musk, who has accepted Maduro's challenge to fight on a yet-to-be-announced date, has taken some time off from his busy schedule at X, where he is prolifically reposting pro-Trump and anti-Harris posts, to lock horns with a Brazilian judge.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Musk vs Brazilian judge

Musk has called Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes an "evil dictator," among other names, after he ruled to block the local bank accounts of SpaceX's satellite-based internet service, Starlink.

Alexandre de Moraes is an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge. https://t.co/ZIV8KbDCmk

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024

X has no legal representative in Brazil

This was in response to the lack of legal representatives in Brazil for X, as mandated by the country's laws.

Brazilian law requires all internet companies to have a legal representative in the country who can receive judicial orders and otherwise be legally responsible for the business.

Also read: Who is Nicolas Maduro, and why has Elon Musk accepted his challenge for a fight

CREDIT: AP

The Brazilian Supreme Court had set a deadline for X to name its legal representative in the country by 8:00 pm on Thursday, after which the social media platform may be forced to shut down there.

Earlier this week we received an order from Brazil¡¯s Supreme Court Justice @alexandre de Moraes that freezes Starlink¡¯s finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions in that country

¡ª Starlink (@Starlink) August 29, 2024

X vs Brazilian SC judge

Earlier this month, X removed its legal representative from Brazil on the grounds that de Moraes had threatened her with arrest.

X had also failed to comply with an SC order to block certain accounts accused of spreading lies and distortions.

Most of the accounts ordered blocked are run by backers of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, some of whom deny he lost his 2022 re-election bid.

Musk, who has also tilted to the far-right in recent years, refused to block the accounts, calling it censorship.

SpaceX and X are two completely different companies with different shareholders. I own about 40% of SpaceX, so this absolutely illegal action by the dictator @alexandre improperly punishes other shareholders and the people of Brazil. https://t.co/zIzcT0BTJl

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 29, 2024

Musk's all-out attack on judge

Unsurprisingly, Musk hasn't taken the SC order too kindly and has gone after the judge, calling him all sorts of names and reposting similarly toned content.

True, Brazil is controlled by a tyrannical dictator masquerading as a judge https://t.co/kkPfNRrBOh

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024

Musk even posted an AI-generated picture of Judge Moraes behind bars. ¡°One day, Alexandre, this picture of you in prison will be real. Mark my words,¡± Musk said in a post.

Many remote schools and hospitals depend on SpaceX¡¯s Starlink!

SpaceX will provide Internet service to users in Brazil for free until this matter is resolved, as we cannot receive payment, but don¡¯t want to cut anyone off. https://t.co/BHlPpbsKR6

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024

Musk also announced that Starlink-parent SpaceX will provide free internet service to Brazilian users "until this matter is resolved."

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.