German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes the suspension of Donald Trump's account by Twitter and other social networks is "problematic", because freedom of opinion should not be determined by the bosses of online platforms, her spokesman said Monday.
"The fundamental right to freedom of opinion is a fundamental right of elementary importance, and this fundamental right can be interfered with, but through the law and within the framework defined by the legislature, not according to the decision of the management of social media platforms", the spokesman explained, referring to the move first taken by Twitter, in the aftermath of the deadly rampage that rocked the US Capitol building on 6 January.
On Thursday, Angela Merkel expressed shock after protesters besieged the US Capitol building demanding that the US election results be overturned.
"We all saw the unsettling pictures of the storming of the US Congress yesterday evening, and these images made me angry and also sad", Merkel shared with a meeting of conservatives.
The German chancellor also said the president himself had to shoulder part of responsibility for failing to duly concede.
President Trump, for his part, was quick to strike back against Twitter, blasting it in a series of tweets from the @POTUS account for going "further and further in banning free speech".
