German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has sharply criticised Twitter’s decision to ban the outgoing President of the United States, Donald Trump, according to Financial Times.
She described the action as a “problematic” breach of the “fundamental right to free speech”.
Merkel said this through her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, adding that the US government should instead follow Germany’s lead in adopting laws that restrict online incitement.
Twitter first suspended President Trump’s account and has now deleted it completely and this is following last week riots at the Capitol.
The social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and others have also taken actions against the outgoing President accusing him of “repeated and severe” violations of its civic integrity policies.
The Chancellor said free speech was a “fundamental right of vital importance” that could be restricted, “but only in accordance with the laws and within a framework defined by the legislator — not by the decision of the management of social media platforms.”
She said for that reason she found it “problematic” that Mr Trump’s accounts had been indefinitely suspended.
President Donald Trump was impeached on Wednesday at the US House of Representatives having been accused of inciting his supporters to attack the Capitol.
The President, who has just few days in office, became the first US President to be impeached twice having gone through same process in 2019.
President-elect, Joe Biden will be sworn-in on January 20, 2021, to become the 46th President to have ruled America.
