'Gigantic global sewer': Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo quits X, says 'I refuse to endorse this evil scheme'

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Monday announced that she was quitting Elon Musk's social media platform X, (formerly known as Twitter). Describing X as a "gigantic global sewer" and a tool to disrupt democracy, she said she has made the decision to leave the popular social media platform.

'A weapon of mass destruction'

In an op-ed in the French newspaper Le Monde Hidalgo wrote, "I've made the decision to leave X". She chalked the decision up to the X's alleged promotion of "misinformation", "antisemitism and racism."

"X has in recent years become a weapon of mass destruction of our democracies," wrote Hidalgo, as quoted by AFP.

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"The list of abuses is endless," she said, adding, "this medium has become a gigantic global sewer, and we should continue to wade into it?"

"I refuse to endorse this evil scheme," she stated.

In a lengthy post on X, Hidalgo cited "manipulation, disinformation, the fostering of hatred, harassment, anti-Semitism and open racism, or vicious attacks on scientists, climatologists, women, environmentalists, liberals and all those of good will who wish to engage in peaceful political debate in an increasingly complex world."

"This platform and its owner intentionally exacerbates tensions and conflicts," she alleged, adding, "We should not allow the 'engineers of chaos' to seize control of our destinies."

Mass exodus?

As per the 64-year-old Socialist, she was "one of the first French women in politics to join this network, which today counts a community of over 1,500,000 subscribers worldwide."

Hidalgo, who unsuccessfully stood for the French presidency in 2022, joined Twitter (as it was known back then) in 2009.

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Till this surprise exit, the Paris mayor was a frequent user of the platform.

She is not the only high-profile person to quit X. Since Elon Musk took over the platform in 2022, a number of high-profile figures and organisations — including the US public radio network NPR, and the German anti-discrimination agency — have said that they were leaving the popular social platform. However, the exits still remain short of a mass exodus, reports AFP.

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

Even as Hidalgo exits X, the City of Paris account will remain on X, said the mayor's office while talking to AFP. 

(With inputs from agencies)