Are European governments next? Paris joins growing exodus from Musk’s X

The city of Paris has become the latest European municipality to abandon Elon Musk’s social media platform, saying it will close its X account January 20.

The date coincided with Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.

In a statement, the Paris administration criticised X for limiting the reach of factual and objective messages, instead allowing harmful content to flourish, and failing to create a safe environment for discourse.

“The platforms fuel hate speech and disinformation, the lack of moderation of which becomes problematic,” it said.

Paris will migrate to X competitor BlueSky. It said the move was vital to reclaiming “peaceful spaces for public expression”.

Other European municipalities already made the shift, with Chippenham Town Council in the UK closing its X account November 1. The council complained about an alarming rise in unfiltered and inappropriate content.

Soon after, on December 12, Finland’s city of Turku announced its departure from X.

Over 60 German universities and research institutions said January 10 they would leave X, citing a misalignment between the platform’s direction and their core values.

“Changes to X—from the algorithmic amplification of right-wing populist content to the restriction of organic reach—make further use untenable,” the academic institutions said.

France’s L’Ecole du Louvre has joined this growing list of institutions, citing concerns about the platform’s shift under Elon Musk’s leadership.

In France, the move to quit X is part of a broader movement, HelloQuitteX, gaining traction across the country and urging people to disconnect from Musk’s platform.

“On January 20, 2025, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, let’s reclaim control by leaving X en masse and embracing alternatives that uphold freedom of expression,” the group declared.

“Under Elon Musk, X has become a tool for manipulating public opinion. We must refuse to be complicit,” it added.

Led by academics, activists, and online influencers, HelloQuitteX outlined a three-step process to help users migrate from X while preserving their online communities.

Researchers have created an app to aid this transition, helping users seamlessly shift to other networks without losing their contacts.

French Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo was the first major French politician to quit X in 2023, describing the platform as a “vast global sewer” and criticising Musk for exacerbating tensions and conflicts.

As quitting X gained momentum, calls for a European ban on the platform have increased.

The francophone Belgian Green Party Ecolo called for the platform to be banned, citing concerns over foreign interference in EU affairs, Musk’s support for the AfD in Germany and climate change sceptics in Canada.

“X has become a tool at the service of a multi-billionaire with authoritarian political ambitions,” said Green Party leader Marie Lecoqc January 9.

Marine Tondelier, national secretary and leader of The Greens party in France, has said she wants to shut down Elon Musk’s X if it fails to bow to censorship demands. https://t.co/ZCJMEPNitz

— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 20, 2024

France’s Green Party, led by Marine Tondelier, echoed similar sentiments in November 2024, demanding a ban on X due to its role in promoting hate speech.

In Denmark, Socialists have led calls to block any “Musk influence” in elections, proposing new measures to curb the tech billionaire’s reach.

However, speaking to Brussels Signal, right-wing MEP Kristoffer Storm accused the Left of using Musk as a convenient scapegoat.

“The Left has long sought to push through these measures, and now they’re using Musk as an excuse,” Storm said.

Since Musk took over in 2022, the platform has undergone a complete rebranding, leaving its future uncertain. With mounting pressure from governments, politicians, and institutions, X’s approach to content moderation and influence now faces scrutiny like never before.

The European Union should have its own regulator-friendly equivalents to X, TikTok and Instagram, according to the candidate for chancellor of Germany’s Greens, Robert Habeck. https://t.co/IPNHqY5zbU

— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 15, 2025