🇧🇷 I'm Simon — a foreigner living in Brazil. I moved here when I lost my job and bank accounts in Europe after speaking out about the restrictive COVID measures in the Netherlands. Now I reside in the middle of the jungle off-grid, building my own little paradise while staying connected to the world with @Starlink. What scares me is not only the fact that the Brazilian government is now threatening to shut down Starlink and X, but also that those who criticize @alexandre and expose his authoritarian actions are being persecuted and arrested. For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that I speak my mind about everything I consider a threat to personal and societal freedom. Now, more and more people in Brazil tell me to better stop being critical online and just tweet about growing vegetables and the weather, to avoid becoming a target of the wannabe dictator. But the current situation is just the escalation of a gradual trend. ▪️ In the last four years, the unvaccinated have faced heavy discrimination by the media. I was even sued for not wearing a mask despite having an exemption. ▪️ Brazil's Supreme Court has made homophobia punishable by prison, including 'misgendering' men in women's clothes. ▪️ Being critical of vaccines online has become a crime, regardless of whether one supports their opinion with peer-reviewed publications (to what they’re worth these days is another discussion). ▪️ In recent years, I've witnessed several cases of corruption here. It's evidently quite common to bribe the police. ▪️ The media propaganda favoring Lula and the narrative cannot even be surpassed by CNN and The Washington Post. Critical journalists are blocked by @alexandre and even politically persecuted. It's no wonder hardly anyone dares to speak out anymore. During Bolsonaro's presidency, there was much political discussion and openness in the country. However, since Lula was "chosen" as president, there has been an increasing atmosphere of fear: people are less and less likely to express their opinions, and those who do are often politically persecuted or pressured by the prosecution. As a European who has been firmly living in Brazil for three years now, speaks the language, is well-integrated, and has always voiced my opinions without holding back, this situation is concerning. Although it might be difficult to find me in the jungle, one must reckon with the arbitrariness of the Brazilian justice system on a daily basis, especially as someone who has such a significant reach on this platform as I do. Nevertheless, I will continue to step into the ring for the truth. Because if we all allow ourselves to be intimidated, we will wake up tomorrow in a brutal global dictatorship, and this would be far worse than the consequences that I and many others currently fear in this wonderful country. So please support me, and everyone else who still dares to stand up against injustice and the totalitarian trend here in Brazil. We count on you, just as you can count on us. Sunshine! Simon P.S. I'm currently finishing up my jungle studio. Starting next week, my new podcast will go online, in which I'll be discussing events in Brazil and around the world with exciting and well-known guests. Stay tuned - literally!