Despite international condemnation for US President Donald Trump's role in inciting the mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, leaders from France and Germany have opposed the move of social media platforms—in particular the President's favourite, Twitter—to evict him from their platforms.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said she considers US President Donald Trump's eviction from Twitter by the company problematic.
Asked about Twitter's decision, Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the operators of social media platforms bear great responsibility for political communication not being poisoned by hatred, by lies and by incitement to violence.
Asked about Twitter's decision, Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the operators of social media platforms bear great responsibility for political communication not being poisoned by hatred, by lies and by incitement to violence. He said it's right not to stand back when such content is posted, for example by flagging it.
But Seibert also said that the freedom of opinion is a fundamental right of elementary significance.
This fundamental right can be intervened in, but according to the law and within the framework defined by legislators not according to a decision by the management of social media platforms, he told reporters in Berlin.
Seen from this angle, the chancellor considers it problematic that the accounts of the US president have now been permanently blocked.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire also voiced his opposition to Twitter's action.
"What shocks me is that it is Twitter that is shutting down Trump's account. The regulation of the digital giants cannot and should not be done by the digital oligarchy itself. It is necessary but it must be done by States and by Justice," he tweeted.
Edward Snowden was among the first to raise his voice against the perceived stifling of free of speech by the social media giants, after Facebook announced it would block Trump from posting until the end of his term.
Facebook on Thursday suspended Trump's account through January 20, the day of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, and possibly indefinitely.
"Facebook officially silences the President of the United States. For better or worse, this will be remembered as a turning point in the battle for control over digital speech," Snowden tweeted at the time.
Twitter permanently suspended Trump from the microblogging platform on Friday, citing a risk of further incitement of violence in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of the outgoing president.
With inputs froim AP
