Angela Merkel finds Twitter halt of Trump account ‘problematic’

Angela Merkel said that the right to freedom of opinion cannot be interfered with

Credit: Michael Sohn /AP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that the decision by social media giants to permanently suspend Donald Trump’s accounts is problematic because freedom of opinion should not be determined by such online platform bosses, 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," she said via Steffen Seibert, her official spokesperson.

"From this point of view, the chancellor considers it problematic that the accounts of the US president have been permanently blocked."