A German soccer club is leaving X because of the increase in hate speech and disinformation on the social media platform that it claims could undermine the snap elections in the country.
FC St. Pauli announced the decision on Thursday, saying billionaire owner Elon Musk has turned the platform into a "hate machine" since he took over the company in 2022.
"Racism and conspiracy theories are allowed to spread unchecked and even curated," St. Pauli said in a statement. "Insults and threats are seldom sanctioned and are sold as freedom of speech."
The club said it had already limited posts on X and increased "political statements in support of diversity and inclusion to make a stand against hate."
F.C. St. Pauli fans show their support with rainbow flags during the Bundesliga match between FC St. Pauli 1910 and VfL Wolfsburg at Millerntor Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024, in Hamburg, Germany.
Selim Sudheimer / Getty Images
Named after Hamburg's St. Pauli district, the club, which plays in the Bundesliga, is known among soccer fans for its left-leaning supporter base. Fan groups often chant anti-racist slogans and promote diversity within the club.
St. Pauli also underlined Musk's role in last week's U.S. presidential election, and alleged his platform could affect the outcome of the snap elections in Germany, which are scheduled to take place next February, by "manipulating the public discourse."
"Musk was a major backer of the Trump campaign and also used X for this purpose," the club said. "It is to be assumed that X will also promote authoritarian, misanthropic and far-right content during the forthcoming German election campaign."
St. Pauli said it would no longer share content on X but it will not deactivate the account. The club urged supporters to follow its updates on Bluesky, an alternative social media platform that has observed a surge of new members after President-elect Donald Trump's election victory last week.
Musk was a key figure in Trump's third election campaign, donating millions of dollars and promoting content for his message on X. Trump announced this week that he will be part of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who sought the Republican Party's nomination.
On Nov. 6, the German coalition government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed the finance minister, who represented the pro-business Free Democratic Party. The chancellor will seek a vote of confidence at the German Bundestag in December.
St. Pauli aims to migrate its nearly 250,000 followers ahead of February's snap elections in Germany in which the center-right opposition Christian Democratic Union is expected to make significant gains.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party has also gained popularity. With 76 seats, it is the fifth largest party in the Bundestag. In September's Thuringian state election, the AfD became the first far-right party in Germany to have won an election since World War II.
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