• by Colin Kirkland , November 27, 2023

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, wrote a lengthy post on X, detailing why she was leaving the social messaging platform formerly known as Twitter. Hidalgo blames the platform for “exacerbating tensions and conflicts,” calling it a “tool for destroying our democracies.”

“We must not deceive ourselves,” she writes.

“We are dealing here with an utterly clear political project to push aside democracy and its values in favor of powerful private interests,” she adds.

Hidalgo's perspective highlights reasons why some of X’s biggest advertisers like Apple, Lionsgate, IBM and Disney have either paused or ended their campaigns on the platform in recent weeks following the proliferation of pro-Nazi and antisemitic content.

In her post, Hidalgo alluded to X owner Elon Musk without naming him, writing: "This platform and its owner intentionally exacerbate tensions and conflicts.”

Last week, Musk, who has a history of engaging with hateful and controversial content, responded to an X user who wrote that he his “disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations” and that those “flooding their country don't exactly like them too much.” In response, Musk wrote, “You have said the actual truth.” The post has amassed almost 8 million views.

After Media Matters for America released a report showing a plethora of ads appearing next to hate-fueled content on X, Musk sued the advocacy group, accusing it of manipulating X’s algorithm to drive advertisers away.

X's revenue has plummeted since Musk's takeover. With dozens of advertisers pausing their ad spend, the company may be on track to lose up to $75 million in ad revenue by the end of this year.

“We need more than ever to keep real democracy alive,” Hidalgo wrote in her announcement Monday. “Twitter hinders debate, the quest for truth, and the serene and constructive dialogue needed between human beings. I refuse to endorse this evil scheme.”

Throughout her 10 years in office, Hidalgo has championed sustainability practices, fighting to make Paris a greener city.

In her statement on X, Hidalgo wrote that the platform currently “hinders the information needed to bring about the ecological and energy transformation we much need” in favoring arguments by those pushing the use of fossil fuels.

“We can keep denying, clarifying and explaining, but the noise produced by a piece of misinformation will still dwarf the echo of a proven truth,” she writes.

In September, a report released by a coalition of over 50 environmental groups, ad agencies and other organizations named X the least likely to combat climate change misinformation among all other leading social-media platforms due to the app's lack of policies against the spread of misleading information around climate change.

While Monday will mark Hidalgo's last day on Twitter, she made sure to let her 1.5 million followers know she would “remain on other social media networks in which respectful exchanges can still take place,” linking to Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.