Swedish Politicians and Journalists Abandon Platform X Amid Rising Hate Speech and Misinformation

Swedish political and media figures are increasingly withdrawing from Platform X, formerly Twitter, amid escalating concerns over hate speech, misinformation, and toxic political discourse. Experts have described the platform as a "hate machine" since Elon Musk acquired it in late 2022, noting a 50% increase in hate speech related to homophobia, racism, and antisemitism. Jakob Ohlsson from Reform Society criticized politicians like Carl-Oskar Bohlin for remaining active on X despite its role in undermining Swedish and European interests through Russian disinformation and extremist content.

Ola Spännar, co-founder of Klimatkollen, highlighted the platform's non-neutral stance and manipulation by bots, which constitute 65-75% of accounts, contributing to spreading disinformation. The environment on X has driven away major media outlets, including Le Monde, and led to a user decline of 11 million in Europe over five months, with a significant decrease in Swedish users, especially women.

Ahead of the 2026 elections, Spännar urges politicians and journalists to leave X to help reduce hate and misinformation, suggesting alternatives like Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads for healthier political conversations. These developments come amid broader unease regarding the political climate in Sweden, as exemplified by Unn Harsem's lament over a candidate withdrawing from regional elections due to fears over harsh political discourse limiting freedom of speech.

The combination of a hostile online atmosphere and diminishing trust in a major social media platform has sparked calls for more responsible engagement and safer dialogue spaces as Sweden approaches its regional and national elections.