Germany: judge criticises Trump in ruling, irritating US embassy

Frankfurt (Germany), 24 October (LaPresse) – A judge at the Bonn court has caused irritation at the US embassy in Germany after including harsh criticism of US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in a ruling on data protection. This was reported by Bild. The case concerned a lawsuit filed by a user against a well-known international social network, who had asked to know whether the US secret services had access to his data. The court dismissed the appeal, noting that users of US-based platforms implicitly accept data protection rules that are less stringent than those in Europe. In the text of the ruling, the judge went further, describing the Trump administration as “openly populist and far-right”, with “anti-democratic, authoritarian and even fascist tendencies”. He also stated that “right-wing extremists are the greatest enemies of individual freedom” and “among the most corrupt politicians, driven by national and personal selfishness”. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Berlin expressed surprise at the statements, recalling that the United States and Germany ‘share democratic and Western values’. He added that Washington is observing with “concern” the ongoing debates in Germany on the possible ban of populist opposition parties and called for ‘the protection of freedom of expression and political pluralism’.