Soccer Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Union Berlin v St. Pauli - Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, Berlin, Germany - August 30, 2024 St. Pauli players look dejected after the match REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Bundesliga club St Pauli said on Thursday it was withdrawing from X because the social media platform had become an 'amplifier of hate' that could influence German politics.
Announcing its reasons for withdrawing, the club said in a statement that X's billionaire owner Elon Musk had turned a space for debate into "an amplifier of hate that was capable of influencing the German parliamentary election campaign."
Germany is set to hold snap elections on Feb. 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition, and with far-right and far-left political parties surging.
The club's decision comes a day after Britain's the Guardian newspaper said it would stop posting on X, citing "disturbing content" including racism and conspiracy theories.
Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia followed suit on Thursday, saying it would suspend its accounts, as X had become an "echo chamber" for disinformation and conspiracy theories.
Musk purchased the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022. Critics say his hands-off approach has allowed lies and hate speech to spread, while Musk has said he is defending free speech.
Hamburg-based St Pauli are known for having an alternative fan scene and left-wing supporter base.
They are also active with social projects, support for refugees and minorities and initiatives such as installing beehives in their stadium roof to raise environmental awareness.
"Since taking over Twitter, as the platform was previously known, Musk has converted X into a hate machine," St Pauli said.
"Racism and conspiracy theories are allowed to spread unchecked and even curated. Insults and threats are seldom sanctioned and are sold as freedom of speech," it said.
"The account will no longer be used, but the content of the last 11 years will remain online in view of its contemporary historical value," it said.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
