The withdrawal is accompanied by an eXit week, during which the alliance partners will inform the public about the dangers of hate speech on their social media channels.
Berlin, June 18, 2024 – A red card against hate speech: 45 organizations from the fields of environment, health, agriculture, human rights and social issues (listed below) jointly announced on Tuesday that they are suspending their activities on X. With this action, the “eXit” alliance is sending a signal for a democratic and respectful culture of debate on the International Day Against Hate Speech proclaimed by the United Nations.
Their more than 180,000 X followers will be informed about hate speech in several concluding posts under the hashtag #ByeByeElon as part of an "eXit week," which also starts on Tuesday. They will also publish posts on the topic on other social media platforms.
The organizations are reacting to the increase in violent, discriminatory, and disinformational content since Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform in October 2022 by withdrawing from X. Elon Musk himself equates moderation with censorship and has therefore significantly reduced it. Under the guise of supposed freedom of speech, accounts that were previously suspended for spreading extremist content are being reactivated.
In a joint statement, the 45 eXit organizations commented: “Hate, incitement, calls for violence, disinformation: Since Elon Musk’s takeover, all of this has increasingly become part of everyday discourse on X. Extremism and hostility towards democracy are increasingly dominating the debates there. Much of this content is ignored by the platform’s operator. We want to oppose this coarsening of the debate culture. We stand for respectful, democratic exchange and appreciative communication. Therefore, we say #ByeByeElon and are ceasing our activities on the platform.”
According to a representative survey published in February [1] , around half of the respondents stated that they had already experienced online hate. Approximately one in eight had been personally affected. "Almost half of the respondents have been insulted online, and a quarter have received threats of physical violence ," the study authors stated.
Katja Diehl, bestselling author, mobility expert, and podcaster, experienced hate speech on Twitter herself in early 2023. As a result, she deleted her account. Diehl comments : "I know that many people like to associate the 'poisoning' of Twitter with Elon Musk. But let's be honest: even before, this platform failed to adequately protect victims of hate speech, let alone rein in perpetrators. Musk exacerbated this trend in a way that clearly demonstrates how wrong it is to privatize such platforms. Unfortunately, exit is the only option, because Twitter, now X, has become a breeding ground for disinformation and hate. I am therefore pleased that these organizations are taking a stand on this symbolic day."
The alliance partners discussed the departure from the platform in numerous rounds of exchange, also examining their work on other social networks. The decision to leave was made against the backdrop of a particularly harsh and aggressive tone on X, unlike anything seen on any other social media platform. That this trend is intentional or at least tolerated is evident in the company's strategic direction: according to EU data, there are now significantly fewer content moderators than on other platforms.
The eXit organizations will not delete their accounts, but rather deactivate them, as otherwise there is a risk of their profiles being hijacked. Some of the eXit organizations have already deactivated their X accounts in recent months or deliberately reduced their activity there. A return to participation would only be conceivable for the eXit partners if moderation practices and debate culture on X were to once again adhere to democratic principles.
The following organizations belong to the "eXit" alliance: ANU Hessen eV , Doctors of the World , AWO International , BAUM - Network for Sustainable Management , Mountain Forest Project eV , Bioland eV , Bits & Bäume , Federal Network for Civic Engagement (BBE) , Changing Cities eV , Centre for Planetary Health Policy , The Hunger Project eV , Demeter eV , German Alliance for Climate Change and Health eV (KLUG) , German Sustainability Code , German Foundation for World Population (DSW) , Difäm Worldwide , Don Bosco Mondo eV , EIRENE International Christian Peace Service eV , Engineers for Future , Development Policy Network Saxony eV , EuroNatur Foundation , EWS Schönau Electricity Works , Fairtrade Germany eV, Farmers for Future , FIAN Germany eV , Community Project Sustainability , German Doctors eV , Germanwatch eV , Green Planet Energy , Greifswald Moor Centrum , Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe , Kindernothilfe eV , Klimadelegation eV , LAG 21 NRW , Naturland eV , naturstrom , OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftung , Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation , Council for Sustainable Development , RENN Network , Romero Initiative (CIR) , terre des hommes Germany , urgewald eV , World Peace Service eV
Terre terre des hommes updates on the situation of children worldwide and corresponding policy recommendations can now be found on Threads and Mastodon .