Some politicians are preparing to leave Twitter after it was taken over by Elon Musk

None of the French politicians will ever match the outrage with which Donald Trump used Twitter as his privileged tool while in the White House – and that’s a blessing. However, the American social network has become a must for every elected official. It is a classic activity for politicians today to report on their own or their camp’s actions, to express their anger on such and such a topic, and to make their choices concrete. Some of them do not hesitate to cross swords in 280 signs, even to insult each other without nuance.

Boomerang effect of old tweets

From Emmanuel Macron to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from Gérald Darmanin to Danièle Obono, some have become masters of using this tool. But while Twitter allows you to react quickly — sometimes too quickly — it also creates a terrible boomerang effect for elected officials who may end up with embarrassing old tweets that no longer fit their current positions or, conversely, reveal a permanent mindset. .

We saw it again with MP RN Grégoire de Fournas – sanctioned by the Assembly for telling LFI deputy Carlos Martens Bilongo to “go back to Africa” ​​- whose old tweets showed equally heartbreaking expressions.

For Yannick Jadot, “Twitter kills democracy, kills politics”

But now that Twitter has been taken over by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Space X, who wants to turn the web into a place of total freedom and hate speech, which has seen a sharp increase in hate speech and assassinations, a number of political figures are wondering if we will leave the platform. . “Social networks are an attack on democracy,” Yannick Jadot, a member of the European Parliament of the EELV, specifically condemned Twitter last Monday.

“As we know, there was an ecologically predatory, socially predatory system, but today these social networks are an attack on democracy. You have algorithms that want to somehow amplify instability, that want to amplify invective, offensive language, including racist slurs or threats. You have some kind of profitability, which is the number of views. You definitely have short-termism. “Twitter is killing democracy, it’s killing politics, and as a result, Twitter is the winner,” Yannick Jadot summed up.

Will Elon Musk be heard in the European Parliament soon?

This concern is shared by Stéphane Séjourné, a member of the European Parliament. The president of the Renew group and general secretary of the president’s Renaissance Party announced that Renew will demand a hearing of Elon Musk in the European Parliament. “Whatever Mr. Musk chooses, our motto will remain: our continent, our choices. We need to make sure that Twitter continues to act against misinformation and hate speech.”

Several elected officials have also questioned their personal use of the network. Government spokesman Olivier Veran wondered how Musk’s version of Twitter would be used in the future. “I consider it an important means of communication. The fact that this great global instrument is owned by a man and has ambitions that worry me a bit, for some I’m staying alert anyway and I’ll do my part if I have to,’ he assures her before denouncing. future certification regulations.

Some on the right approve of Twitter without moderation

Elon Musk wants to pay for the certification of accounts that have so far avoided identity theft thanks to the blue dot. “I invite them to cancel my account without delay if they believe it will be profitable,” Mr. Veran said. “It’s going to hurt me a little bit,” said Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, for his part. “The question of whether to stay on Twitter is a serious one,” PS deputy from Essonne Jérôme Guedj said on Twitter.

But Musk’s takeover of Twitter doesn’t bother some figures on the right. LR MEP Nadine Morano believes that “Twitter should remain neutral” as Nicolas Dupont-Aignan takes on European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who reminds him that “the blue bird will fly according to our rules”. “The EU is already reeling after its takeover of Twitter. Are you afraid of free speech? Dupont-Aignan asks.