Meret Schneider, a Swiss National Council member, is under fire after calling for tighter controls on social media sites such as X, Facebook, and TikTok. She argued that these sites promote extreme opinions, which she says is a threat to democracy.
Schneider Warns of Social Media’s Impact on Elections
Schneider countered in a Tagesanzeiger interview that the European Union has long targeted big tech but that Switzerland did not. She used the campaign during the election in Germany as a point in time when the social media algorithm was accused of broadcasting political material while demoting others with opposing political beliefs.
“Posts that benefit the AfD are pushed while opposing content is suppressed,” Schneider claimed. She demanded swift regulatory action and even proposed blocking these platforms if need be.
“Today, it affects Germany, in a few years, it might affect the elections in Switzerland,” she cautioned.
Public Anger and Social Media Threats
Schneider’s comments lit a firestorm, especially when Die Weltwoche editor Roger Köppel posted a screenshot of the Tagesanzeiger article on X. The post, captioned If Necessary, X or TikTok Should Be Blocked, included a photo of Schneider and Elon Musk and went viral very quickly.
Super-Demokratin Meret Schneider. pic.twitter.com/TiF6wKhNO6
— Roger Köppel (@KoeppelRoger) February 16, 2025
The backlash grew stronger, and Schneider said she had received anonymous threats, including a frightening call on Sunday evening when a man’s voice purportedly told her, “We will kill you, trust me.”
“Köppel served me to his followers on a silver platter,” Schneider said in an interview with Tagesanzeiger, stating that she has been attacked by both American and Russian social media users.
“Up to now, the majority of the attacks have been from German-speaking nations, but now I have the American community against me,” she said. She said many of the negative responses contain hashtags such as #MakeAmericaGreatAgain, #FreeSpeech, and #ElonMuskWillSaveUs.
Who Is Meret Schneider?
Meret Schneider is a prominent leader of Switzerland’s Green Party. She first cut her teeth as a political operator as a member of Uster’s municipal council between 2014 and 2019 before getting elected to the National Council in 2019. She was re-elected last December.
Aside from politics, Schneider co-operates Sentience Politics, a body committed to the cause of animal rights. Schneider has also been an outspoken champion of limiting the consumption of meat in Switzerland.
As the controversy over regulating social media gains momentum, Schneider’s position remains at the center of arguments on balancing free speech and preventing toxic online content.
