Paris mayor quits X platform, calling it a ‘gigantic global sewer’

On Monday, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, revealed that she would be leaving the social media site once known as Twitter. Hidalgo referred to Twitter as a “gigantic global sewer” that was “destroying our democracies” by spreading abuse and false information.

Following his purchase of Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk fired thousands of employees, including many of those responsible for content moderation on the network. It has been rebranded as X but has already lost several large sponsors. Many people, including the White House, have criticized it for not doing more to combat antisemitism.

“This platform and its owner intentionally exacerbate tensions and conflicts,” Hidalgo stated in a series of lengthy articles written in both English and French. She cited manipulation, disinformation, antisemitism, and assaults on scientists, climatologists, women, and liberals as examples.

Hidalgo’s push to convert Paris into a cycling capital has garnered her both criticism and acclaim on social media over the years. Some users have used the hashtag #SaccageParis (WreckParis) to criticize the unending labor and physically unpleasant worksites in connection with the initiative.

The Socialist politician who ran unsuccessfully for the president of France in 2022 with a vote total of 1.7% of the total cast asked, “This medium has become a gigantic global sewer, and we should continue to wade into it?”

“I refuse to endorse this evil scheme,” the woman stated.

More recently, she has been under fire for a trip to the island of Tahiti, located in the French Polynesian archipelago, ostensibly to see a surfing site for the 2024 Olympics. However, her critics have stated that this was not within her purview and that she instead visited her daughter, who resides on the island.

Users on X and opposition politicians have used the hashtag #TahitiGate to criticize her for taking a vacation that the taxpayers partially subsidized.