On Tuesday 3 December 2024, Greenpeace Luxembourg announced that it will leave the social network X (former Twitter), acquired by Elon Musk in 2022.
Greenpeace Luxembourg’s X account, created in October 2009, currently has nearly 2,500 subscribers. According to Greenpeace Luxembourg, the decision to leave the platform reflects the organisation’s core values: non-violence; adherence to scientific facts; the promotion of democratic and constructive public debate on crucial issues such as climate change, biodiversity and the energy transition. It follows a context of growing concerns about the direction taken by the platform under its new leadership, as well as its political and economic alliances.
Xavier Turquin, Director of Greenpeace Luxembourg, explained: “We firmly believe that it is our responsibility to preserve truth, integrity, justice and transparency in the way we interact with our supporters, policy makers and the general public. Unfortunately, the X platform has now reached a level of toxicity where this is no longer possible: lack of moderation, reinstatement of controversial accounts, spread of disinformation and hate speech, an algorithm that promotes extremist content, harassment, etc. In line with our values, we now refuse to feed a polarised platform that promotes climate scepticism, offers a privileged platform for ideologies that are contrary to the fight for climate and social justice, and that is no longer able to guarantee a constructive, safe and ethical environment for its users”.
In a statement, Greenpeace Luxembourg confirmed it remains committed to taking action to protect the environment and will continue to raise public awareness of environmental issues via other social media platforms. The Greenpeace Luxembourg account X will remain active only to prevent any attempt at identity theft. The choice to leave X is part of a broader reflection within the world organisation. Several other Greenpeace offices around the world are also considering leaving X soon, depending on the alternatives available in their national contexts.
