Brazil's X ban shows world need not yield to 'far-right' Musk, says Lula

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has said he hopes the crisis surrounding the social network X in Brazil might teach the world that "it isn't obliged to put up with [Elon] Musk's far-right free-for-all just because he is rich".

- Tom Phillips

Brazil's supreme court voted unanimously on Monday to uphold the ban on X, now largely inaccessible in one of its biggest global markets.

The suspension was first ordered on Friday as a result of the company's refusal to obey court orders requiring the removal of profiles accused of spreading disinformation and for the social network to name a local legal representative.

Debate is raging in Brazil over preventing more than 20 million X users from accessing the service and the political wisdom of doing so, amid fears the move could strengthen the country's far-right movement by allowing it to pose as a champion of free speech.

Thousands of supporters of the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro are expected to take to the streets on Saturday for an independence day rally some believe will be turbocharged by anger over the supreme court's decision.