Prominent German politician defends departure from Twitter

BERLIN – One of Germany’s most prominent politicians is defending his decision to leave Twitter, which was questioned by some political rivals.

Opposition Green party co-leader Robert Habeck quit Twitter and Facebook last week. He cited a much-mocked faux pas in a video posted on Twitter and a recent hack of German politicians’ data, in which Habeck was one of the worst-affected figures.

Habeck said in an interview with Sunday’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that Twitter “is a medium one can use or not.” He added “there is a democratic majority in Germany that views Twitter skeptically.”

Habeck’s move has been greeted with some skepticism. Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats said that “you have to show the flag where people argue and you have to fight for positions.”