Statement from Southall Black Sisters on decision to leave X

[IwantToRetire]

After careful and principled consideration, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) has taken the decision to leave X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

This is not a symbolic gesture. It is a political and ethical refusal to participate in a platform that has become a conduit for misogyny, racism, disinformation, and the normalisation of violence – particularly violence against women and girls (VAWG). X increasingly facilitates the spread of dehumanising narratives that target marginalised communities and, in doing so, creates conditions that enable real-world harm. We will not be complicit in this.

We are unequivocal: VAWG is not an unfortunate by-product of online spaces – it is being actively enabled by them. These harms fall most heavily on women and children from Black, minoritised, and migrant communities, the very communities SBS has worked alongside for over four decades. A platform that tolerates, amplifies, or profits from such abuse stands in direct opposition to our values and our mission.

The recent misuse of X’s AI chatbot, Grok, to generate and circulate non-consensual sexualised images of women and children (BBC, 2026) starkly illustrates their endemic misogyny. The platform’s initial response – restricting this capability to fee-paying subscribers – did not constitute safeguarding. It was a commercial workaround that avoided accountability, trivialised gender-based violence, and signalled a profound disregard for women’s safety. While the full impact of emerging developments remains to be seen, the absence of timely and robust protections leaves us unconvinced that the platform treats VAWG with the seriousness it warrants, sending a clear message that abuse is acceptable so long as it is profitable. This environment actively silences women, deters political participation, and reinforces misogynistic norms that extend well beyond the digital sphere.

Under Elon Musk’s ownership, far-right and fascist ideologies have been allowed to flourish and be rebranded as legitimate political discourse. This has had grave consequences in the UK and internationally (The Guardian, 2025; NBC News, 2025; Sky News, 2025). X’s algorithm and the dismantling of moderation safeguards have created fertile ground for misinformation and hate. Following the 2024 Southport murders, the platform amplified false and inflammatory content, fuelling anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim narratives that contributed directly to fear, violence, and unrest in parts of the UK (Amnesty International, 2025). This is not neutral technology – it’s political infrastructure, and it is being wielded irresponsibly.

In this context, leaving X is an act of resistance. SBS refuses to lend credibility, content, or engagement to a platform that systematically undermines the safety and dignity of the communities we serve. Our commitment has always been to victim-survivors. We will not remain in a space where their lived realities are dismissed, distorted, or erased, and where abuse is allowed to thrive.

We call on the UK government to move beyond mere recognition of online harms to meaningful, sustained action that confronts structural violence and unequal impacts online. While recent policy efforts, including the Online Safety Act, signal an acknowledgement of these issues, the reality on the ground remains deeply concerning – particularly for women and girls from Black, minoritised, and migrant communities who continue to experience disproportionate levels of abuse, silencing, and exclusion. We urge the government to work in genuine partnership with SBS and the communities we serve to ensure that online spaces are safe, accountable and equitable – where protections are not just theoretical, but real, enforceable, and grounded in the lived experiences of those most harmed. We further call on policymakers to actively resist attempts by far-right and fascist actors to exploit online platforms for political influence and legitimacy, and to reaffirm an unwavering commitment to public safety, human rights, and equality for all.

We encourage everyone unsettled by X’s harmful environment to also walk away and engage in constructive alternative spaces for discussion.

SBS will continue to engage with communities on other platforms:
Facebook: @Southall Black Sisters
Instagram: @southallblacksisters
LinkedIn: @Southall Black Sisters
Bluesky: @sbsisters.bsky.social

We remain fully committed to supporting victim-survivors through our helpline (020 8571 0800) and via our website: southallblacksisters.org.uk.

https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/news/our-decision-to-leave-x/

I would never put a personal image or my name on Twitter. However, I do take your point that those who are brave enough to be on there under their real name and photo could be deterred. However, GC feminists take so much abuse they've probably seen it all before. Photoshop has existed for a while and other image making packages are available.

Good point. I agree they were pornified images.

Is that happening for criticising Twitter? I don't get the impression it does. You have to be pretty offensive to have a post deleted and community notes work well.

That's a really good article which articulates how Twitter works much better that I could. It says that journalists pay attention to Twitter stories much more than other sites and I think that's why feminist organisations need to think very carefully about how they're going to keep communicating their message.

Stay on X using it exclusively.

Stay on X and join other platforms.
Leave X and join other platforms.
Leave X and all other platforms to free up time and give your head a rest for a while.

Women's Rights commentators along with everyone else will decide for themselves.

I like the Critics analysis usually but this piece is off. I feel it slightly contradicts itself when it says on the one hand Twitter/X is important because it bypasses prestige media/the elites. And then says it's disproportionately powerful because it's used by those same "elites". The second part is true but not an original observation. It was true before Musk bought Twitter and it's true now.

It also mentions Elon Musk takeover and his reshaping of the algorithms that previously favoured mainstream views. But it doesn't really delve into what those algorithms mean. Previously, Twitter was able to disproportionately sway mainstream discourse on things like Trans issues because he who controls the algorithm controls what the journalists, politicians using Twitter saw. So they were probably given the false impression there was more consensus than there really was on the issue, and this affected their own reporting. Now Musk has taken over he hasn't made the algorithms public or democratised the platform. He is still shaping what people see but in a different direction. In fact, AIs like Grok are intended to control users perception to an even greater extent. More basic chatsites e.g. Mumsnet and even every right wing sites like the antipodean farmers may have their own rules and biases but the posts you read aren't filtered through some unknowable algorithm so they are oddly more honest as social media sites.

The thing is, that outside influence that makes Twitter important only works as long as Twitter continues to be used by the Great and Good as a bell weather for public perception it's circular.
As more people lose interest, and as public suspicion grows about how representative it is, the less influence it will have on what journalists write. This is always a weak point with social media sites - they depend on people using them because of the other people using them. At a certain point they become irrelevant or just old fashioned (the way young people stopped using Facebook). Musk can try to keep interest in it through the use of new features like Grok and that's been fairly successful. But it also means when he goes too far on the shock value or as Twitter becomes viewed as his personal toy people lost interest.It was never a public square. That's just becoming more obvious now. And yes, there is a gap between Twitter users and non Twitter users but I think it would be a mistake for anyone to base their identity on the social media site they use.

As Ozymandias said "look on my MySpace Page ye mighty and despair".

I agree, and think if you have an important message to put out and Twitter is the most effective medium its wrong to shame people for using it. Especially GC women who were chased of other platforms. But increasingly Twitter/X only gets in the news when it's something Elon Musk has said or something he has retweeted. He's the richest man in the world so his doings will always be reported on. Because he IS powerful. I don't think Twitter/X can be relied upon to give a voice to the less powerful. Even KJK had far more impact with grass roots on the street actions. So maybe that's what protest/public discourse goes back to.

Twitter was successful because it had a USP.

It doesn't have that anymore. It's the MySpace of the 2020s.🤷‍♀️

As Ozymandias said "look on my MySpace Page ye mighty and despair".

😁😁😁

SBS have not behaved well in recent years. They were amazing in their original form but they have adopted campaigning postures that have nothing to do with their original mission. They minimised sexual violence against Israeli women. I have no problem with recognising the suffering of Palestinian women at all, I don’t think sexual violence against women as a group (any group) should be tolerated/minimised/explained away. Tbh I was disappointed by the fact that people didn’t want to discuss abuse within Palestinian society. You either have morals or a bad case of ideology. I’m from Southall, a member of a minority within a minority and I am utterly disgusted with them tbh. It pains me to say this as I have donated to them, sang their praises and signposted MN users to them.

The fact that Iranians are currently using the little access they have to amplify their message is important. The fact that for years Iranians have been sending information about what happens to women in Iran through twitter is important. The whole womens rights in relation to trans rights debacle leaves me with little faith in alternative ways of raising awareness.

X is definitely disgusting in many ways, the recent abuse of AI, especially in the respect of people using pictures of children is appalling and needs to be tackled robustly and anyone asking for this shit should be banned but the reality is for many people it’s an important place for exchanging information. That is incredibly uncomfortable for me. I wish I could say “fuck em” but the reality is this, x will continue to be popular and it’s still the best way to amplify and communicate for a lot of people.

Grok is being updated so that it shouldn't create images in jurisdictions where they are unlawful. Hopefully Ofgem will keep on top of this, as they have more clout than women.
I'm not a free speech absolutist and this case demonstrates why.

www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8gz8g2qnlo

anyone asking for this shit should be banned but the reality is for many people it’s an important place for exchanging information.

Nobody's stopping anyone from exchanging info on X. However, other platforms are available and growing so people have choices they didn't have before. It's like when BT was privatised.

Afghan women as well as Iranian ones - while they have a voice there I will stay and amplify it.

Can you share those links? Im not on X or anything like it but I'd love to hear what women in Afganistan are saying and how I can help.

I'm not sure how much you'll be able to see if you're not signed up, but https://x.com/i/status/2011824320281002136 is outside the country but is able to relay news and retweets some content from inside, and they also put some on the substack linked in this post.

Same with https://x.com/WRNAfghanistan outside the country but they relay news.

Kate Clanchy is a poet involved with one of the underground education projects. She posts some of her students' poems. https://x.com/i/status/2002073430020313461

A lot of women’s organisations have quietly quit X

Grok also on request changed people's body size and shape, including breast size, and could make people turn around or pose any way they wanted. Bikinis could also be made see through and half-naked men could be added to the image.

Grok is a pervert's dream.

Also not a woman's group but Sport England has also left Twitter because it is “hostile to women and girls”:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/grok-ai-key-to-sport-england-suspending-x-account/ar-AA1U8cQI

I read about this earlier and it basically means we're back at square one.

Everyone at this point who doesn't live in a cave knows about VPNs. If Grok is still making illegal images for countries who don't have specific laws passed then anyone in the world can just use a VPN and set it to one of those countries.

Thank you so much.

Just to repeat X is one of the least used social media platforms so it is almost perverse to stick with it, for groups who are wanting outreach, let alone individual women wanting to stay informed.

I do love it when posters say there are plenty of other active sm platforms out there but never name them. FB is dead and Bluesky is full of M/TRAs. Where are the companies such as local councils, utilities, shops and women's groups all heading off to? I don't want loads of different sites, I only have time (and energy) for one. Where should I go?

Closed my account a couple of years ago because of Musk.

I don't miss it.

Agree! It is no good just saying use another platform if they then don’t EVER name any alternatives!

I closed mine before Musk bought it. I was tired of coked up misogynists howling at the moon.🙄

I dont miss it either.😁

Isn't X full of MRAs and TRAs? Twitter was when I left it. Did Musk get rid of them when he bought it?

Was coming in to make this point, albeit not as well.

X is horrible, Musk is Emperor Bellend, and the site is not well used - but it is still massively influential because journos and politicians etc are still on there. Until it changes, I think there's an argument to be made for sticking there and making the case.

Bluesky is even less used AFAIK. And it's 'nicer' in that it's basically Twitter in the era when you could get banned for saying men can't be women. Not sure I see much of an improvement there.