Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro leads ‘free speech’ rally in Sao Paulo

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has rallied thousands of protesters in central Sao Paulo to protest against the country’s ban of the social media platform X.

The demonstration was timed to the country’s Independence Day on Saturday.

It also unfolded while Bolsonaro’s political rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, led an official parade with the country’s military in the capital Brasilia.

Dressed in the colours of the Brazilian flag, Bolsonaro climbed atop a temporary stage erected on Sao Paulo’s main thoroughfare, Paulista Avenue, and addressed the crowd.

His remarks took aim at one of the main figures responsible for the ban on X: Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.