Prospect calls for the Government to leave X

Following ongoing political interference and the promotion of far right content on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, Prospect has called for the Government to stop using the site.

Prospect itself left X some time ago, save retaining the named account to prevent impersonation, in response to the content of the platform and attitude of its owner.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“The attempted murder in Belfast yesterday was horrific and we want to express solidarity with the victim and his family.

“But the indiscriminate targeting of migrant families we have seen in response is totally unacceptable and shames our country. We must all stand in solidarity with those affected by this racist violence.

“We must also be clear about what is driving this behaviour. Elon Musk continues to use his X platform to promote far-right content and interfere in the politics of the UK. It is increasingly clear that X is not a social media app but a far right organising tool with Musk himself actively supporting and promoting people who are calling for violence and far right policies.

“Government use of X legitimises it as a platform, and also results in civil service communications officers having to wade through racist content while doing their jobs. We need to stand up to racism and the far right – that has to start with creating spaces for dialogue that aren’t poisoned by racism. We call on the Government to abandon its use of X and use the expertise of specialist civil servants to develop alternative approaches to communications.”