X is a "global sewer," Paris mayor says
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo holds her ballot for the French senatorial elections on Sept. 24. Photo: Geoffroy Van der Hasselt/Getty Images
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is leaving X, blaming it for "destroying our democracies."
Why it matters: Hidalgo's skewering of the platform formerly known as Twitter comes after major advertisers exited X following owner Elon Musk's endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
- "Whether it be 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, the range of abuses is endless," she wrote in her final post.
Context: Musk's $44 billion takeover of X was just over a year ago, and the platform has been scrutinized by watchdog organizations for not moderating hate speech.
- Civil rights groups have also reported a rise in antisemitism and hate speech on the platform.
- Earlier this month, Musk backed an antisemitic claim on the app, which caused companies to divest from X. He visited Israel Monday and told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants to help rebuild Gaza after the end of the Israel-Hamas war.
Details: "We are dealing here with an utterly clear political project to push aside democracy and its values in favor of powerful private interests," Hidalgo wrote.
- "The latest transparency report on content control, released by Twitter itself, ranks France first in Europe for violent and illegal content."
Zoom out: Apple, Disney, Comcast/NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount and IBM pulled advertisements from the platform earlier this month.
- The European Commission also said it would freeze its advertising on X.
What's next: Hidalgo said she will remain on other social media networks that allow for "respectful exchanges."
- "This medium [X] has become a gigantic global sewer, and we should continue to wade into it?" she wrote.
Go deeper: What makes the X advertiser revolt different from other boycotts
