‘Weapon destroying democracy’: Paris mayor quits X

Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has announced her decision to quit X, formerly known as Twitter, which she described as a “global sewer” and a tool to disrupt democracy.

“I’ve made the decision to leave X. X has in recent years become a weapon of mass destruction of our democracies,” Hidalgo said in an op-ed in French newspaper Le Monde on Monday.

The 64-year-old Socialist, who unsuccessfully stood for the presidency in 2022, joined Twitter as it was then known in 2009 and has been a frequent user of the platform.

The Paris mayor also accused X of promoting “misinformation, anti-Semitism, and racism”.

“The list of abuses is endless. This media has become a vast global sewer,” Hidalgo added.

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Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, a number of high-profile figures said they were leaving the popular social platform, but there has been no mass exodus.

Several politicians including EU industry chief Thierry Breton have announced that they are opening accounts on competing networks in addition to maintaining their presence on X.

The City of Paris account will remain on X, the mayor’s office said

By contrast, some organisations have taken the plunge, including the U.S. public radio network NPR, or the German anti-discrimination agency.

Hidalgo has regularly faced personal attacks on social media including Twitter, as well as sometimes criticism over the lack of cleanliness and security in Paris.

In the latest furore, she has faced stinging attacks over an October trip to the French Pacific territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia that was not publicised at the time and that she extended with a two-week personal vacation.

The Star