German political parties leave X: should other European politicians follow?
With German left-wing parties making a departure from social media platform X, a professor says a coordinated exodus may inspire others to finally leave the network.
Three German parties – the ruling Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party, and the Left – announced their departure from the social media platform X, owned by American tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The parties said X “has descended into chaos," accusing the platform of promoting “right-wing populist content, hate speech and disinformation.”
Musk acquired Twitter (now X) in 2022, promising to increase freedom of speech on the social network. Instead, the platform’s algorithms began prioritizing conservative content, leading users' opinions to shift towards the political right, according to a 2026 study.
The exodus from X comes amid heightened tensions between the EU and the Donald Trump administration, which strongly supports American technological companies’ pushback against European regulations.
Musk is among the most outspoken critics, who called for abolishing the EU after X was slapped a $140 million fine for failure to comply with the bloc’s digital rules.
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This isn’t the first time high-profile European politicians have publicly broken up with X.
German member of the European Parliament Alexandra Geese left the platform in 2025 for Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Mastodon, saying X “is actively pursuing authoritarian regime change.”
The LeaveX petition, which calls for European politicians to stop using the social network, collected 3,230 signatures in 2025. The petition authors argued against the common view that politicians must remain to provide alternative or opposing opinions.
“The algorithms of these platforms are optimized to maximize engagement/attention, and this is most effectively done through polarization, anger, and controversy. Opposition is amplified not because it is particularly effective, but because it creates conflict that triggers more interaction,” they said.
Coordinated exodus may inspire others
As of now, German political parties are more an exception than a rule – European institutions and many major political parties are still on X and actively posting.
However, for some, the German departure gives hope that other European politicians will follow suit.
Claes de Vreese, a professor at the University of Amsterdam, wrote in a LinkedIn post that the coordinated departure of parties, leaders, and candidates can shift the equilibrium and weaken journalistic reliance on X as a source.
“Some will argue that leaving cedes ground to more extreme voices. Perhaps. But that assumes there is still meaningful ground to hold. For many parties, the honest question is: what tangible value has X delivered in recent years?” Vreese wrote.
He called for a reassessment of how and where political communication occurs, arguing that a platform’s relevance is not inherent but is constructed through user behavior. Therefore, when influential users walk away, that relevance begins to erode.
Academics have already tried to quit X, soon after it was acquired by Musk, in protest of new content moderation policies. However, their enthusiasm quickly faded, as they didn’t find their established networks on alternatives like Mastodon and Bluesky.
What may be different this time is a growing number of European social media alternatives, including an upcoming direct rival to X called W. Meanwhile, networks like Monnett and eYou are already operating, promising to address common issues users face on X.
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