More than 60 universities and higher education institutions in Germany have quite Elon Musk’s X in response to what they call an “amplification of far-right populist content”.
Following announcements from the Guardian and the European Federation of Journalists to come off the social media site, academic centres in Germany have also decided that they can no longer contribute to a platform that fails to promote values such as diversity, freedom, and scholarship.
In a joint statement, the universities condemned the platform for amplifying far-right populist content, calling it “unacceptable.”
“This decision sends a clear signal in favour of fact-based communication and against anti-democratic forces,” the statement said.
The move comes as Musk’s vocal endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, just weeks before next month’s snap German elections, has drawn condemnation from German leaders and accusations of election interference.
Achim Zolke, spokesperson at Dusseldorf’s Heinrich Heine University, which spearheaded the campaign, said more universities are joining the movement every hour.
Among the universities leaving X are Dusseldorf Heinrich Heine University, Freie Universitat Berlin, Humboldt University, Heidelberg University, Muenster University, RWTH Aachen University, the German Sport University Cologne, and the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder).
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