Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters gathered on Sao Paulo’s main boulevard to celebrate Independence Day. They were energised by the government’s decision to block Elon Musk’s X platform. This ban, they claim, is evidence of their political persecution.

A few thousand protesters, dressed in the yellow and green colors of Brazil’s national flag, descended on Av. Paulista. Images of Musk and references to the ban on X were everywhere.

One banner that praised the tech entrepreneur read: “Thank you for protecting our freedom.”

The march on Saturday was seen as Bolsonaro testing his ability to mobilize the public ahead of the municipal elections in October, even though Brazil’s electoral court had barred him from seeking office until 2030. The march is also a referendum about X, whose suspension raised eyebrows among Bolsonaro opponents while stoking Brazil’s deep political polarization.

After months of arguing with Musk about the limits of freedom of speech, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued a nationwide ban of X on August 30. The powerful judge is leading efforts to stop far-right users spreading misinformation via social media. He has also increased his clampdown on the issue after Bolsonaro fans ransacked Congress on January 8, 2023 and the Presidential Palace in an effort to reverse Bolsonaro’s loss in the presidential elections.

Bolsonaro referred to Moraes as a “dictator”, and urged the Brazilian Senate to impeach him. Bolsonaro also repeated his false claim that Luiz inacio Lula had colluded to steal the elections of 2022 with the judiciary.

Bolsonaro told the crowd, in a raspy voice due to a virus which sent him to hospital earlier that day.

Bolsonaro supporters have applauded Musk for his defiance towards Brazil’s judiciary.

In an interview, Bia Kicis, a Bolsonaro supporter and legislator who is a staunch advocate of freedom of expression said: “Elon Musk was a warrior in the fight for free speech.” “The left does not want the rights to exist, so they oppress and massacre the right.”

“Our liberties in danger. We need to make ourselves heard.” De Moraes should be impeached. Only the people in the streets can convince politicians to take action.

Musk, a self proclaimed “freedom of speech absolutist,” also urged Brazilians, resharing another’s post, to attend the rally. He claimed that X’s ban has awakened Brazilians “to the reality that freedom isn’t for free and that it needs to be fought” for. Musk also created an X, named after the controversial jurist to publish sealed court order directing X shut down unlawful accounts.

De Moraes’ decision to ban X, however, was not arbitrary. It had been upheld unanimously by other Supreme Court justices. While Brazil’s laws restrict expression online and in other places, Musk is a spokesperson for free speech and has become a celebrity.

According to court documents, X has closed 226 accounts since 2019 that were accused of subverting Brazil’s democratic process, including those of legislators affiliated with Bolsonaro’s party.

De Moraes, however, warned X last month that if it did not take action, its legal representative would be arrested. This prompted X to dissolve its local office. De Moraes suspended the company until it named a new representative, as was required to receive court notifications.

Musk’s attempts to portray him as a tyrant bent on censoring his political speech were undermined by a Supreme Court panel that unanimously upheld de Moraes’ decision to block X Days Later.

The most controversial part of his decision was the imposition of a $9,000 daily fine on Brazilians who use virtual private networks (VPNs), to access X.

The CEO of Atlas Intel, a Brazilian pollster, Andrei Roman said that some of the measures adopted by Brazil’s Supreme Court are quite burdensome and abusive.

In the days leading up to the Saturday protest, right-wing politicians defied de Moraes’ ban by using a VPN and publishing posts on X calling people to participate in the protests.

The Sao Paulo march is held in parallel with official events celebrating Brazil’s independence from Portugal. In recent years, commemorations have been fraught in tension as Bolsonaro has used them to rally his supporters and demonstrate political strength.

He threatened to throw the country into constitutional crisis three years ago when he said he wouldn’t accept de Moraes rulings. Since then, he has toned down his attacks as a result of his own legal predicament.

Bolsonaro was indicted two times since the end of his mandate in 2022. The most recent indictment was for money laundering, allegedly in relation to undeclared Saudi Arabian diamonds. De Moraes oversees an investigation into the Jan. 8, riot, and whether Bolsonaro played a part in inciting it.