International
German Chancellor, Merkel, terms Trump’s ban by Twitter as ‘problematic’
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has described the decision by social media giants, Twitter to permanently suspend the account of US President, Donald Trump as ‘problematic’.
Merkel in a statement issued by her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, on Monday said that the decision to suspend Trump’s account is problematic because freedom of opinion should not be determined by such online platform bosses.
In the statement Merkel said; “The fundamental right to freedom of opinion is a fundamental right of elementary importance, and this fundamental right can be interfered with.
READ ALSO: Germany to extend COVID-19 lockdown as deaths continue to mount
“But through the law and within the framework defined by the legislature, not according to the decision of the management of social media platforms.
“It is problematic that the accounts of the US president have been permanently blocked,” the statement noted.
It further added that lies or incitement to violence were also “very problematic”, but that the path to dealing with them should be for the state to draw up a legal regulatory framework.
Merkel had said she was “furious and saddened” by the storming of the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters.
She had also accused Trump of stoking the unrest by refusing to concede his election defeat to President-elect, Joe Biden.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...