Brasilia [Brazil], August 31: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned Friday that businessman Elon Musk, owner of social network X, must respect the decisions of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and cannot insult Brazilian authorities.
Lula da Silva told local radio station MaisPB in Joao Pessoa, the capital of the northeastern state of Paraiba, that any businessperson with investments in the South American country must abide by its laws.
"Any citizen, from any part of the world, who has investments in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and Brazilian laws. Therefore, if the Supreme Court has issued a ruling for citizens to comply with certain measures, they must comply or seek an alternative course of action," he said.
"Just because someone owns a lot of money doesn't mean they can be disrespectful. He's an American citizen, not a citizen of the world. He can't go around insulting presidents, deputies, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, or the Supreme Court," Lula added.
On Friday afternoon, Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the blocking of social media platform X in the country after the company failed to indicate a legal representative in Brazilian territory.
On Wednesday, Moraes ordered X to appoint a company representative in Brazil within 24 hours to comply with court orders and settle outstanding fines. However, after the deadline passed, Musk's company announced it would not comply and anticipated a possible platform block.
With Moraes deciding the blocking of X in Brazil, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) will have to notify the country's internet providers to suspend access to the social network.
The justice also ordered the freezing of Musk's satellite internet company Starlink's bank accounts to ensure payment of the fines imposed for non-compliance with the court's decision on Thursday, regarding the suspension of profiles under STF investigation.
Source: Xinhua