Several Belgian civil society organisations (CSOs) will be suspending their presence on the social media platform X from 20 January – the date of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
More than 30 CSOs, including CNCD-11.11.11, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, Caritas International and Oxfam Belgium, among others, are quitting the X platform, formerly Twitter. It was bought in 2022 by the South African tech giant Elon Musk, who has since become a staunch Trump ally and financial supporter and will be a key member of the future Trump administration.
"X is no longer an open discussion platform, but a threat to the foundations of our society," the organisations noted in a joint press statement. "Its lack of accountability and ethical boundaries has a profound effect on our democracy, protection of human rights and humanity."
By leaving the platform, they are drawing a line in the sand against the hate speech, disinformation and political manipulation dominating the social medium, which they describe as "a danger to democracy."
The organisations will no longer post on X, and will instead be active on Bluesky, a platform that "does opt for a safe and constructive environment".
'No longer makes sense'
They call on other midfield actors, media companies and political leaders to also withdraw their support from X to send a joint message. "We commend organisations such as the Guardian, De Morgen and Apache who have been making a case for leaving X," they noted. "Therefore, with our exit, we also call on other CSOs, newspapers, VRT and politicians to stop legitimising this platform."
Nature protection organisations in Wallonia, Canopea and Natagora also announced they will depart from X on 20 January. "X no longer offers a healthy and democratic forum for debate," they said. "Our organisations share the desire to adopt an approach based on science and democratic values. It no longer makes sense for us to continue to evolve on X."
They added that the decision echoes the European-wide 'Hello Quitte X' movement, aimed at encouraging digital spaces that are more compatible with functional democracies.
