Musk Fired Most Of Twitter Brazil, Sparking Claims He Did Because Platform Undermined Bolsonaro

After Twitter CEO Elon Musk gutted much of Twitter’s staff in Brazil following the October elections, including all employees charged with moderating content for incitement of violence and misinformation, critics are Claim the bloodbath was over Twitter’s alleged role in undermining the conservative presidency of Jair Bolsonaro.

Musk purchased Twitter on October 27, and the run-off election in Brazil took place on October 30. In the initial election on October 2, neither Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro nor leftist Luiz Inacio da Silva, who served as president of Brazil from 2003-2010, could gain more than half of the valid votes, precipitating a run-off election, which ended with Lula receiving 50.90% of the votes to Bolsonaro’s 49.10%, the closest presidential election in Brazil’s history.

Twitter Brazil launched in November ahref=”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/twitter-brazil-elon-musk-far-right-suspended-accounts-edited-“>suspended These profiles Three right-wing politicians were mentioned, prompting one user to ask Musk “Hey @elonmusk, your company has been imposing a draconian ideological censorship of the Brazilian people’s right to free speech. We are at a critical moment in our history! Wtf is going on?? We thought you bought Twitter exactly for this reason! Rise and lift the censorship NOW!”

Musk replied, “What censorship are you referring to?” Paulo Figueiredo Filho, the grandson of João Figueiredo, Brazil’s military president between 1979 and 1985, chimed in, “Of course, Twitter needs to obey Brazilian ‘court’ decisions. But the company has gone above and beyond, spontaneously imposing its own censorship, even stricter than that of our flawed courts. Your moderators are currently being more dictatorial than our own courts!”

“I will look into this,” Musk replied.

This will be investigated

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022

Avi Yemini from Rebel News tweeted Musk in early December “Hey @elonmusk, can you find out what other elections were ‘handled’ by the former Twitter regime?  Thank you, The rest of the world.”

Musk replied: “I’ve seen a lot of concerning tweets about the recent Brazil election. If those tweets are accurate, it’s possible that Twitter personnel gave preference to left wing candidates.”

I’ve seen a lot of concerning tweets about the recent Brazil election. If those tweets are accurate, it’s possible that Twitter personnel gave preference to left wing candidates.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 3, 2022

Musk then followed up with a tweet mid-December in which he stated: “Twitter may have people on the Brazil team that are strongly politically biased.” Musk visited Bolsonaro, Brazil in May 2022 to discuss projects that could help protect the Amazon rainforest. Bolosonaro also visited the Amazon rainforest around the same period. So called Musk could acquire Twitter “a breath of hope,” Musk also said that he hoped Musk will show the rest the world how Brazil protects the rainforest.