“The far right has captured the social networks,” says Brazil’s censorship czar Moraes in defending regulation

By Diógenes Freire

The controversial Supreme Court Justice blamed the “far right” in the US for creating an environment in which social networks are used to counter official versions espoused by the “traditional press.”

While speaking on “the STF and the defense of democracy” at an event at the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation (FHC Foundation) on Friday morning (31), Alexandre de Moraes said that “the extreme right has captured the social networks” and defended regulation of the sector to prevent the circulation of versions contrary to official narratives.

“Brazil suffered this massive attack on democracy; it wasn’t just a Brazilian issue; we had a worldwide capture, by the extreme right, of the social networks with a clear purpose, the purpose was the attack on democracy, the breaking of democratic rules.”

“In an absurdly competent way, the extreme right first diagnosed and then captured all the social networks,” said Moraes, associating the advent of the Internet to several demonstrations worldwide that demanded the fall of totalitarian regimes.

“They (the social networks) emerged as an instrument of democracy, against totalitarian states that had no freedom of the press, freedom of expression, did not allow the right to assembly… ”

“People were communicating and organizing themselves through the social networks for the great democratic demonstrations,” said the magistrate.

It is worth remembering that the magistrate is criticized for abuses in several actions against conservatives since the election of former president Jair Bolsonaro, attacked and accused without evidence by the press and politicians of the extreme left, with whom Moraes shows affinity.

Among the controversial decisions imposed by the Justice is the constant censorship of conservative profiles on social networks, the criminalization of supporters of former president Bolsonaro and even the suspension of the right of assembly along the lines of the totalitarian regimes criticized by the magistrate during the lecture.

For Moraes, the “extreme right” in the United States created this environment in which social networks are used to counter official versions espoused by the “traditional press.”

“How did this start? First, by discrediting the press […] The idea was: Let’s equate our news, fraudulent, lying, well-known fake news… ”

“Let’s equate disinformation with information. With the advantage, they said, that our disinformation is irresponsible,” said Moraes, complaining that “most of the population” values independent newspapers more than the traditional press.

The Justice also went back to attacking critics of the electoral system, proven to be fraudulent, and referenced Bolsonaro and Donald Trump by classifying them as bad losers politicians defeated in suspicious elections.

Last Wednesday (29), a day after Justice Minister, communist Flávio Dino, defended the “self-regulation” of social networks during a hearing at the Supreme Court (STF), Supreme Court Justices Dias Toffoli and Luiz Fux chorused with Dino and also defended the measure.

With information from BSM (Brasil Sem Medo)