The German Ministry of Defence and the Bundeswehr national army will block their accounts on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, according to Politico.
The main reason for the decision is that, according to the defense ministry’s assessment, the objective exchange of arguments is becoming increasingly difficult.
In December, Musk endorsed the national-oriented Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a post on X. He has since used his website, bought in 2022, to supposedly criticise German politicians. The billionaire also called the AfD the only force capable of “saving” Germany.
The ministry’s move to leave the platform comes just days after Musk, a top adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, held a conversation on X with Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s February 23 snap election.
The defence ministry’s action will spark a debate within the German government over whether all institutions should stop posting on X. The ministry stated that it would continue to share videos and content on Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp.
