“The First Temptation of Christ,” a satirical Netflix special that came out recently in Brazil was banned by a Brazilian judge on Jan. 8 for “attack[ing] the protection of religious freedom.” The film, created by comedy group Porta dos Fundos, depicts Jesus as gay.

That same day, the decision was overturned by the country’s Supreme Court. The Supreme Court President, José Antonio Dias Toffoli, stated: “It is not to be assumed that a humorous satire has the magic power to undermine the values of the Christian faith, whose existence goes back more than two thousand years.”

The film was never removed from Netflix in the time between when the ban was ordered and overturned, but the initial decision has been widely criticized as indicative of the country’s rise in censorship under the leadership of their far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. 

The administration is vocal of their defense of Christian values, and they have publicly stated they would fight “cultural Marxism.” The term is a nonsensical anti-Semitic buzzword used by far-right groups to lump everything they disagree with—abortion, feminism, globalism, LGBTQ+ groups, immigrants, socialism and etc.—together as part of a Jewish conspiracy to influence and change “Western values.”

Since Bolsonaro came into office a year ago, he has used the term to ban or cancel several shows, plays and conferences. Bolsonaro insists that it is not censorship. He has said that it is simply “preserving Christian values, treating your youth with respect and recognizing [family values].” 

However, it is obvious that this is not the case. Any piece of media slightly critical of Bolsonaro or expressing dissenting views is being banned, with only some being overturned by the Brazilian Supreme Court. Last Oct., a clown company was planning to perform a play for children “about a fictitious dictatorship where hugs were prohibited” when it was canceled by a government representative. In Sept., the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, evangelical pastor Marcelo Crivella, tried to remove an LGBTQ comic from Brazil’s Book Biennial. Earlier in the year, an exhibition of satirical drawings of Bolsonaro and the Minister of Justice was canceled twelve hours after its opening for being “offensive.” These are not isolated incidents—they are indicative of a larger problem.

Bolsonaro’s views have encouraged those who think similarly to him to act out towards anything they do not agree with. Case in point, on Christmas Eve, the headquarters of Porta dos Fundos was attacked by gasoline bombs. The police are still investigating suspects, but one group took responsibility for the attack—Command of the Popular National Insurgence, a group that is part of the “integralist” movement and takes inspiration from Italian fascism in the 1930s. In Brazil, fascist groups feel confident enough to commit acts of terrorism without fear of repercussions—proof of flaws in government that should not be ignored. 

Bolsonaro has been compared to Donald Trump numerous times, but he is arguably more extreme than Trump. Bolsonaro has a readiness to censor anything that he deems unacceptable. Netflix’s lawyers in the trial against the comedy special articulated it best when they said that censorship has an impact “equivalent to that of the bomb used in the terrorist attack against the headquarters [of the comedy group.] It silences by means of fear and intimidation.”

The right to free speech involves allowing views that may not align with one’s own. Brazil has laws protecting this right, and by censoring things he does not agree with, Bolsonaro is violating them. As far-right extremism like his continues to be pervasive all over the world, it is important that everyone—lawmakers, politicians and ordinary citizens—speak up to protect them.