Mayor of Paris Quits ‘Global Sewer’ Twitter/X in Scorching Post: ‘The Weapon of Mass Destruction of Our Democracies’
AP Photo/Michel Euler, File
Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, France, quit Twitter/X on Monday and absolutely torched the platform and Elon Musk on her way out.
Musk was not mentioned by name, but Hidalgo did refer to the “platform and its owner,” saying (in a translation from French): “This platform and its owner intentionally exacerbate tensions and conflicts.”
Hidalgo’s exit letter is posted on Twitter/X on her official account and can also be read in French and English on Le Monde — and it’s le doozy:
Twitter, far from being the groundbreaking medium that initially made information accessible to the greatest possible number of people, has in recent years become an impressive tool for destroying our democracies.
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 goodwill who wish to engage in peaceful political debate in an increasingly complex world, the range of abuses is endless. Not to mention the daily external meddling in electoral processes, aimed at destabilizing our democracies and undermining their image and sovereignty. …
Today, controversy, rumor and crude manipulation rule public debate, fueled by Twitter’s algorithm, where the only thing that counts is the number of “likes.” Facts are irrelevant.
This platform and its owner intentionally exacerbate tensions and conflicts.
Furthermore, it intentionally hinders the information needed to bring about the ecological and energy transformation we much need, in favor of climate protectionist arguments driven by fossil fuel interests and boundless greed for the planet. 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.
Hidalgo later referred to Twitter/X as a “gigantic global sewer” and an “evil scheme” that “is the exact opposite of democratic life.”
Read the whole essay on Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s Twitter/X account — while you can.
