Presidents of Brazil and El Salvador Back Joe Rogan

Two Latin American presidents, Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, weighed in on the ongoing campaign against American podcaster Joe Rogan on Wednesday, condemning attacks on Rogan as an attempt to stifle freedom of speech and of the press.

Bolsonaro explicitly directed his message to Rogan, sending him “hugs” and telling him, “Stand your ground!” Bukele, on the other hand, used the controversy to attempt to discredit his detractors, who have accused him of unfairly antagonizing the press, pointing out the administration of President Joe Biden has directly weighed in on Rogan’s podcast and called for him to be censored.

Rogan is facing pressure from the left – despite having endorsed socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the 2020 presidential election – over podcast episodes featuring individuals who dissent from mainstream public health officials on handling the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. The controversy became international news after rock musician Neil Young announced he would remove his music from Spotify, which publishes The Joe Rogan Experience episodes, as a means of protest against the comedian.

“I’m not sure what [Rogan] thinks about me or my government,” Bolsonaro wrote in English on Twitter, “but it doesn’t matter.”

“If freedom of speech means anything, it means that people should be free to say what they think, no matter if they agree or disagree with us. Stand your ground! Hugs from Brazil,” Bolsonaro wrote.

– I’m not sure what @joerogan thinks about me or about my government, but it doesn’t matter. If freedom of speech means anything, it means that people should be free to say what they think, no matter if they agree or disagree with us. Stand your ground! Hugs from Brazil. 👍

— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) February 3, 2022

While leading a conservative government, Bolsonaro’s tenure in office has been marked by legal persecution of podcasters, Youtubers, and even lawmakers for their public broadcasts by the country’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF), the top court. The court is dominated by appointees nominated by former socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who have used their powers to order federal police raids on public commenters who support Bolsonaro. In one of the more infamous episodes of this, the STF ordered 29 raids on bloggers, actors, and lawmakers in May 2020 on charges of “fake news,” which is not a crime in Brazil.

A year later, the STF ordered the arrest of conservative Congressman Daniel Silveira (PSL-RJ) on “fake news” grounds over a YouTube livestream in which he accused the justices on the court of abusing their power.

Bolsonaro himself has been the victim of censorship, though not by the STF. In July, YouTube censored a presidential livestream on the grounds that, like Rogan, Bolsonaro had trespassed in his statements into coronavirus “misinformation.”

Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, appeared to take Rogan’s side in the current controversy, though he did not address his post on Twitter to the comedian and former game show host.

FrEeDoM oF tHe PrEsS iS uNdEr AtTaCk In El SaLvAdOr https://t.co/PkPlVOeOc0

— Nayib Bukele 🇸🇻 (@nayibbukele) February 2, 2022

Bukele appears to be referencing complaints from human rights groups that his criticism of journalists had led them to fear for their safety.

“Since President Nayib Bukele took office in June of 2019, he has undermined press freedoms, lashing out at independent journalists, accusing them of spreading ‘fake news,’ and calling them ‘mercenaries,’” Human Rights Watch lamented in March.

Amnesty International has similarly complained that Bukele, who is a very active Twitter user, has criticized non-governmental organizations, which has allegedly resulted in “harassment.”

Unlike Bolsonaro, who is a right-wing conservative, Bukele has defied political labels. His career beginnings were with the far-left Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), but he was expelled from the party in 2017 for “defamatory acts” against the party and “disrespect for the principles of the party.” The FMLN has since opposed his administration and many in the international left have dubbed him “right-wing.”

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