Marine Tondelier, the leader of the Ecologists and a 2027 French presidential candidate, said she will not take patriotism lessons from Elon Musk after the platform X owner accused her of treason against France.
Musk commented on a post referencing her proposal to shut down X during election periods. Musk wrote that he demanded her mouth be closed for treason against France. Tondelier responded to Musk on X in English and French, stating that France would not take patriotism lessons from a foreign billionaire who thinks he can decide which European political officials should be silenced.
Tondelier added that democracy is not for sale, not even to the richest man in the world. She stated that she prefers being accused of defending democracy rather than trying to buy it.
Social Media Bans and Foreign Interference
In an interview with the Liberation newspaper on Wednesday, Tondelier was asked about recent cases of Russian election interference. She said the threat of closing social media platforms such as X appeared necessary during election periods if interference is detected beforehand. She argued that beyond foreign attacks, the algorithm of X represents a far more powerful interference in democratic life.
Tondelier described X as the property of a US-based individual with a racist ideology who wants to push Europe into complete submission to the United States. She noted that Musk had clearly stated his desire to see far-right leader Marine Le Pen elected in France.
Support for National Rally and Election Debates
In mid-July, Musk publicly expressed support for Le Pen, writing that she was France's last hope. Sebastien Chenu, the vice president of National Rally, rejected criticisms of Musk's statements, saying the American businessman was not interfering in elections because he was expressing his opinion.
Separately, two other polls released on Tuesday showed the exact same lead of the far-right over the right.
