SAO PAULO: Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro began flooding Sao Paulo’s main boulevard for an Independence Day rally Saturday, buoyed by the government’s blocking of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X platform, a ban they say is proof of their political persecution.
A few thousand demonstrators, clad in the yellow-and-green colors of Brazil’s flag, poured onto Av. Paulista. References to the ban on X and images of Musk abounded.
“Thank you for defending our freedom,” read one banner praising the tech entrepreneur.
Saturday’s march is a test of Bolsonaro’s capacity to mobilize turnout ahead of the October municipal elections, even though Brazil’s electoral court has barred him from running for office until 2030. It’s also something of a referendum on X, whose suspension has raised eyebrows even among some of Bolsonaro’s opponents all the while stoking the flames of Brazil’s deep-seated political polarization.
“A country without liberty can’t celebrate anything this day,” Bolsonaro wrote on his Instagram account Sept 4., urging Brazilians to stay away from official independence day parades and instead join him in Sao Paulo.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered X’s nationwide ban on Aug. 30 after months of feuding with Musk over the limits of free speech. The powerful judge has spearheaded efforts to ban far-right users from spreading misinformation on social media, and he ramped up his clampdown after die-hard Bolsonaro supporters ransacked Congress and the presidential palace on Jan. 8, 2023, in an attempt to overturn Bolsonaro’s defeat in the presidential election.
The ban is red meat to Bolsonaro’s allies, who have accused the judiciary and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government of colluding to silence their movement.
“Elon Musk has been a warrior for freedom of speech,” staunch Bolsonaro ally and lawmaker Bia Kicis said in an interview. “The right is being oppressed, massacred, because the left doesn’t want the right to exist.”
“Our liberties are in danger, we need to make our voices heard. De Moraes is a tyrant, he should be impeached, and people on the streets is the only thing that will convince politicians to do it,” added retiree Amaro Santos as he walked down the thoroughfare Saturday,
Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” has also urged Brazilians to turn out in droves for the rally, resharing someone else’s post claiming that X’s ban had awakened people “to the fact that freedom isn’t free and needs to be fought for.” He’s also created an X account, named for the controversial jurist, to publish sealed court orders directing X to shut down accounts deemed unlawful.
But De Moraes’ decision to ban X was far from arbitrary, having been upheld by fellow Supreme Court justices. And while expression, online and elsewhere, is more easily censored under Brazil’s laws than it is in the US, Musk has emerged as both a cause célèbre and a mouthpiece for unrestricted free speech.
Since 2019, X has shut down 226 accounts of far-right activities accused of undermining Brazil’s democracy, including those of lawmakers affiliated with Bolsonaro’s party, according to court records.
But when it refused to take action on some accounts, de Moraes warned last month that its legal representative could be arrested, prompting X to disband its local office. The US-based company refused to name a new representative — as required in order to receive court notices — and de Moraes ordered its nationwide suspension until it did so.
A Supreme Court panel unanimously upheld de Moraes’ decision to block X days later, undermining Musk’s efforts to cast him as an authoritarian bent on censoring political speech.
The more controversial component of his ruling was the levy of a whopping $9,000 daily fine for regular Brazilians using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X.
“Some of these measures that have been adopted by the Supreme Court appear to be quite onerous and abusive,” said Andrei Roman, CEO of Brazil-based pollster Atlas Intel.
In the lead-up to Saturday’s protest, some right-wing politicians defied de Moraes’ ban and brazenly used a VPN to publish posts on X, calling for people to partake in the protests.
The march in Sao Paulo is organized in parallel to official events to celebrate Brazil’s anniversary of independence from Portugal. Commemorations have been fraught with tension in recent years, as Bolsonaro used them while in office to rally supporters and show political strength.
Three years ago, he threatened to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis when he declared he would no longer abide de Moraes’ rulings. He has since toned down the attacks — a reflection of his own delicate legal situation.
Bolsonaro has been indicted twice since his term ended in 2022, most recently for alleged money laundering in connection with undeclared diamonds from Saudi Arabia. De Moraes is overseeing an investigation into the Jan. 8 riot, including whether Bolsonaro had a role in inciting it.
Brazil’s X ban drives outraged Bolsonaro supporters to rally for ‘free speech’
https://arab.news/8rmrd
Brazil’s X ban drives outraged Bolsonaro supporters to rally for ‘free speech’
- The former president has urged his loyalists to stay away from official independence day parades and instead join him in Sao Paulo
- X platform owner Elon Musk has also urged Brazilians to turn out in droves for the rally as he hit back against a judicial order banning X
- Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered X banned in the country for refusing to block accounts that were being used to undermine Brazilian democracy
MBC Media Solutions partners with Mobily to sponsor the Roshn Saudi League
- Mobily to advertise through SSC channels and the Shahid platform
LONDON: MBC Media Solutions has partnered with the Etihad Etisalat Company, which is widely known as Mobily, to sponsor live broadcasts of the 2024-25 Roshn Saudi League season.
Mobily will advertise through SSC channels and the Shahid platform, both official broadcast partners of the league across the Middle East and North Africa.
Noura Al-Shiha, senior vice president of brand and corporate communications at Mobily, said: “Our partnership with MMS to sponsor the broadcasting of Saudi Roshn League matches embodies our firm commitment to contributing to the development of the sports sector in the Kingdom.”
Al-Shiha added that the partnership aligned with the company’s strategic goal of “supporting and developing vital sectors” in Saudi Arabia, highlighting Mobily’s role as a “national digital enabler.”
Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, the CEO of MMS, said the partnership aimed to build on the growing popularity of the Roshn Saudi League.
He said: “The Saudi league has today become an attraction for major companies both locally and globally, and to keep pace with this development we have worked through (MMS Sports) to develop a package of advertising and investment solutions that caters to the sports viewer’s journey and contributes to generating returns for our partners.
“We are fully confident that the partnership signed with one of the largest telecommunications companies, Mobily, will benefit the brand and contribute to the business growth of all partners.”
Mobily joins the list of sponsors backing Saudi Arabia’s top football league. PepsiCo earlier this year signed a multi-brand partnership with the league, which runs to the end of the 2024-25 season, while, since 2022, real estate company Roshn, a division of the Public Investment Fund, has been the league’s title sponsor.
Four columnists quit Jewish Chronicle amid Gaza fabricated articles scandal
- Jonathan Freedland, Hadley Freeman, David Baddiel and David Aaronovitch said they resigned due to outlet’s low editorial standards, ideology
- Jewish Chronicle was found to have published high-level stories by Elon Perry that were allegedly not true
LONDON: Four prominent columnists have resigned from the Jewish Chronicle following allegations that the London-based newspaper published fabricated articles concerning Israel and its conflict with Gaza.
Jonathan Freedland and Hadley Freeman announced their resignations on social media early Sunday. They were joined by fellow columnists David Baddiel and David Aaronovitch.
Freedland criticized the JC for showing only minimal contrition, while Freeman stated that recent events made her continued association with the paper untenable.
A statement from a spokesperson for Baddiel said on Sunday the comedian also had “no plans to write any more columns” for the JC.
The controversy erupted on Friday after the Israel Defense Forces revealed details from an investigation into the JC’s articles, finding some to be untrue.
The JC has since removed the disputed articles and severed ties with Elon Perry, a freelance journalist and former IDF member responsible for several high-profile stories.
One of Perry’s articles, published on Sept. 5, claimed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning to escape to Iran through the Philadelphi Corridor.
The story, purportedly based on leaked intelligence documents, was widely reported and shared by media in Israel, including by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son.
However, the IDF later stated it had no knowledge of such documents.
To whoever is interested in such things, I’ve resigned as a columnist from @JewishChron. I’m immensely grateful for all the support I’ve had from the editors during my time there, and enjoyed writing for it enormously. But recent events have made it impossible for me to stay.
— Hadley Freeman (@HadleyFreeman) September 15, 2024
The JC conducted an internal review and concluded that while Perry’s military background was verified, it could not substantiate some of his claims.
Consequently, the JC issued a statement on Friday saying it had removed Perry’s articles from its website and ended its association with him.
“While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims,” it said. “We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr. Perry.”
Freedland, a senior columnist for The Guardian, said on Sunday that he was quitting the JC, which he has contributed to for 26 years, saying the latest scandal “brings great disgrace on the paper.”
On X, he said: “Too often, the JC reads like a partisan, ideological instrument, its judgements political rather than journalistic.”
Freeman, who is also a contributor to The Sunday Times, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday that she and the other resigning columnists “felt there had not been editorial standards” applied to Perry “because this journalist adhered to an ideology that perhaps was similar to that of the editorial board.”
In response, Perry claimed that the JC’s statement was a “huge mistake” and suggested that the criticisms were driven by “jealousy.”
Al Arabiya expands international reach with new programs in English
- Rosanna Lockwood, Tom Burges Watson to present daily shows
- Move is part of broader strategy to strengthen the network’s global presence
LONDON: Al Arabiya news network has announced the global expansion of its English-language programming, introducing new shows led by well-known international journalists.
The network has tapped prominent figures like Rosanna Lockwood and Tom Burges Watson to anchor its new segments, which will cover a wide range of topics, from global politics and current affairs to cultural and human-interest stories.
The move is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the Riyadh-based network’s global presence.
Mamdouh Al-Muhaini, the network’s general manager, said: “We are delighted to introduce Al Arabiya news network’s English-language programming lineup. This international expansion reflects our dedication to providing our viewers with diverse perspectives and insightful analysis on the issues that matter most.
“We are looking forward to reaching new audiences around the world, providing them (with) the trusted and accurate news coverage that our original Arabic network is known for.”
Lockwood, a British journalist known for her work with the BBC, Reuters, and CNBC, will host “Global News Today,” a daily show covering major world events, including US elections and global developments.
Burges Watson, a former CNN International presenter, will lead “WE News,” focusing on major news stories from around the globe.
Both programs are expected to cater to an international audience by providing in-depth analysis and expert insights on the most pressing global issues.
According to Al Arabiya, the new programs are part of its commitment to delivering “high-quality, comprehensive news coverage” to viewers worldwide, expanding beyond its well-established Arabic-language platforms.
“Global News Today” and “WE News” will broadcast daily. Both programs will be available via free-to-air satellite TV and Al Arabiya’s digital platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.
TikTok, Justice Department face off in court over potential US ban
- Chinese-owned video app is under scrutiny over alleged national security threats
- Law requires ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban, but the company insists divestment is ‘not possible’
WASHINGTON: Lawyers for TikTok and parent company ByteDance will square off with the Justice Department in a Washington courtroom on Monday over the fate of a law that could ban the short video app used by 170 million Americans as soon as Jan. 19.
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hold oral arguments on a legal challenge filed by TikTok and Chinese-parent company ByteDance that seeks an injunction barring the law from taking effect.
TikTok and ByteDance argue the law is unconstitutional and violates Americans’ free speech rights, calling it “a radical departure from this country’s tradition of championing an open Internet.”
Circuit Judges Sri Srinivasan, Neomi Rao and Douglas Ginsburg will consider the legal challenges brought by TikTok and users against the law that gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell or divest TikTok’s US assets or face a ban.
Driven by worries among US lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the US Congress passed the law overwhelmingly in April just weeks after it was introduced.
Biden could extend the Jan. 19 deadline by three months if he certifies ByteDance is making significant progress toward a sale.
The hearing could put TikTok’s fate in the middle of the final weeks of the presidential campaign.
Both Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are active on TikTok seeking to court younger voters.
The Justice Department says TikTok under Chinese ownership poses a serious national security threat because of its access to vast personal data of Americans, asserting China can covertly manipulate information that Americans consume via TikTok.
“The serious national-security threat posed by TikTok is real,” the department said.
ByteDance says divestiture is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally” and without a court ruling will lead to an unprecedented ban.
TikTok and the Justice Department have asked for a ruling by Dec. 6, which could allow the US Supreme Court to consider an appeal before any ban takes effect.
The White House says it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national security grounds, but not a ban on TikTok. Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok in 2020, said recently if elected, he would not allow TikTok to be banned.
French terrorist linked to Charlie Hebdo attackers goes on trial
- Peter Cherif was arrested in Djibouti in 2018 after years of allegedly fighting in the ranks of Al-Qaeda
PARIS: A French terrorist, who was close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, went on trial in Paris on Monday.
Peter Cherif, also known as Abou Hamza, was arrested in Djibouti in 2018 after years of allegedly fighting in the ranks of Al-Qaeda in the Middle East.
He is being tried for terrorism-related offenses allegedly committed between 2011 and 2018, and the 2011 kidnapping of three French aid workers in Yemen.
In 2015, Cherif was placed on a US blacklist as a member of the Yemen-based militant group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Cherif, 42, was linked to a Paris terrorist cell and was named in the enquiry into the fatal January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, due to his regular contact with the perpetrators, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi.
The massacre claimed the lives of 12 people and sent shock waves across France.
Cherif has not been formally charged over the attack but his potential involvement is expected to be at the center of the trial.
Investigating judges believe that he “facilitated the integration into AQAP of one of the Kouachi brothers, most probably Cherif” and that he had knowledge of the plan to carry out an attack in France
According to several witnesses, including Cherif’s late girlfriend, AQAP advised foreign fighters in Yemen to return to their countries of origin to stage attacks.
Peter Cherif is also believed to have maintained contact with Cherif Kouachi on his return to France.
He has denied having knowledge of the planned attack.
In 2020, he was a witness during the trial over the 2015 attacks and claimed to have had “nothing to do” with the massacre.
According to Sefen Guez Guez, one of his lawyers, Cherif “knows that the Charlie Hebdo trial weighs heavily in the balance but he will come forward with a sincere statement.”
Cherif faces life in prison if convicted.
He grew up in the 19th district of Paris and converted to Islam in 2003.
