The leader of the Flemish Christian-democrat CD&V party, Sammy Mahdi, is leaving social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, he announced on Monday evening. The move comes only a few months before the elections in June.
Mahdi will remain active on other platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Threads. One of his main reasons for quitting X, he said, is the "racist rubbish" and the fact that interactions on the platform are far removed from reality.
"It once gave me energy and inspiration, but now the rubbish sucks that energy out far too often," the former migration secretary said. "The echo chambers have not gotten any better. Have been less active for a while, now it is definitive: Twexit."
"It is a sick platform. It no longer has any added value," Mahdi elaborated to De Standaard. "Engaging in discussions with anonymous users, receiving tons of racist rubbish or insults, I have had enough."
Additionally, he emphasised that the platform has certainly deteriorated since the takeover by the mogul Elon Musk. "As a young politician, the balance between rubbish and critical debate was still in proportion. Now, it has become a cesspool. Just think of Russian trolls trying to influence elections in Europe."
When asked whether he fears losing a line of communication a few months before the elections, Mahdi's answer is a clear "no." In addition to other social media and the mainstream press, I runs his "campaign on the streets."
According to Mahdi, his sentiment about X is shared among politicians, "certainly by the non-extreme parties."
The far right Flemish MP Sam van Rooy (Vlaams Belang) responded to Mahdi's tweet, saying: "My experience: I am abused and slandered as a fascist and Nazi more often than before, but thanks to Twitter/X I also come into contact with very valuable ideas and people."
