German soccer club Werder Bremen stops posting on X citing rise of hate speech

Werder's Jens Stage, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal... — Werder's Jens Stage, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between SV Werder Bremen and Holstein Kiel in Bremen, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. Credit: AP/Carmen Jaspersen

By The Associated PressNovember 19, 2024 5:51 am

BREMEN, Germany — German soccer club Werder Bremen is the second Bundesliga team to stop posting on X, citing a rise in hate speech since Elon Musk bought the social media platform.

Werder announced the decision after a club meeting late Monday, following St. Pauli’s decision last week also to post instead on the Bluesky platform.

Werder had more than a half-million followers for its German-language channel on X, which was named Twitter when the club joined in May 2008.

“Under the guise of freedom of expression, hate speech, hatred towards minorities, right-wing extremist posts and conspiracy theories have been allowed to spread on X at an incredible pace,” the club said in a post in English.

The “recent radicalization” of X meant “a line has been crossed,” Werder said.

Musk was cited in a news release in German on Werder’s website that claimed he used the platform as a political weapon.

Werder is eighth in the 18-team Bundesliga and won the last of its four titles in 2004.