Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo got ratioed after she posted a long tweet in French announcing that she’d decided to leave X, which she still referred to as Twitter in her farewell words.
“Far from being a revolutionary tool which, at the beginning, gave access to information to as many people as possible, Twitter has become a weapon of mass destruction for our democracies in recent years” Hidalgo wrote. “This platform and its owner intentionally exacerbates tensions and conflicts.”
Hidalgo, who was first elected mayor of Paris in 2014, wrote that she was one of the first female French politicians to join the platform in 2009, but that to “stay loyal to her convictions,” she would be leaving the site.
The post, which is over 600 words long and includes an attached image announcing the departure, was quickly ratioed, racking up over 8,500 replies and 5,100 likes, with users from across the political spectrum mocking the announcement.
“Two times as many followers as voters, what a shame!” replied left-wing French deputy Hadrien Clouet in French. Hidalgo, who was the Socialist Party candidate for president in 2022, has 1.5 million Twitter followers, but only managed to win 616,478 votes nationwide (and just 23,000 in Paris) or 1.75% of the vote in the election.
“lol who dis?” cracked another user in French.
“She can smell the smoke of the [Olympics] coming,” said another user.
“She doesn’t want that smoke,” responded Snoopy communiste.
Paris is hosting the 2024 Olympics and Hidalgo has been criticized for a variety of issues ahead of the games, from soaring housing costs to rising public transportation costs as the city struggles to upgrade its infrastructure.
Hidalgo’s post took aim at some of the types of trolls who jumped on her post.
“We see it every day,” she wrote. “Twitter prevents debate, the search for truth, and calm and necessary constructive dialogue between human beings. With thousands of anonymous accounts and troll farms, what happens on Twitter isn’t democratic life but its exact opposite.”
But other users said what Hidalgo really didn’t like was the fact that she faced pushback on the platform.
“You’re quitting Twitter because you know that these next few months until the Olympic games you’re going to take a beating. You should also quit Paris,” wrote one.
