Rabat – SV Werder Bremen has left X. The Bundesliga club says the platform has become toxic and blames a rise in hate speech since Elon Musk bought it.
“SV Werder Bremen’s executive board have decided that the club will leave the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). The announcement was made by Klaus Filbry, CEO of SV Werder, during the club’s annual general meeting on Monday.” the club said in a statement on its website.
Werder made the move after a club meeting on Monday. They follow St. Pauli, another German team, which quit X last week.
Both clubs now post on Bluesky, a newer social platform.
Concerning the reasons, Werder did not hold back. “Hate speech, hatred toward minorities, far-right posts, and conspiracy theories have spread under the guise of free speech. This is driven by Elon Musk’s actions and personal posts, including transphobic and antisemitic comments.”
Werder Bremen says it stands for diversity, freedom, and solidarity. “We are proud to advocate for inclusion and democracy,” the club stated.
St. Pauli was the first Bundesliga club to leave X. They called it a stand for their principles. Now Werder has joined them and both teams are focusing on Bluesky instead.
Unlike X, Bluesky users are free to set up their own servers and communities. In contrast, on X, everything is centralized and controlled.
Now, Werder’s 15 years on X have now come to an end following growing concerns over how social media platforms are run. Their half-million followers will need to connect with them elsewhere.
Last week, The Guardian left X too. The news outlet also says the platform now spreads hate and far-right ideas.
The Guardian broke the news in a statement, saying “The harm of being on X now outweighs the good.” They also pointed to racism and conspiracy theories being promoted on the platform.
Instead, the newspaper plans to focus on other ways to share their stories digitally.
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