Judgment at the Bonn Regional Court "Autocratic to fascist": German court with clear criticism of Trump

A judge at the Bonn regional court is using the verdict in a civil case to strike a sweeping blow against Donald Trump. The US embassy reacts irritably.

The Bonn Regional Court has ruled in a ruling by the government of US President Donald Trump “autocratic to fascist tendencies”. The United States is now “clearly anti-democratic” and “anti-law-of-law”, it says, among other things (read the full judgment here).



The lawsuit was actually about a lawsuit filed by a social media user. Among other things, he had demanded information about possible access to his data by US secret services and compensation for this. The judge dismissed the lawsuit.

Although social media providers are obliged under European law to provide their users with information about secret service access, such information is prohibited under US law – in the opinion of the regional court an “irresolvable collision of duties”. When using US networks, users should therefore be aware that they do not take European data protection very seriously.


Bonn judge with a sweeping blow against Donald Trump

The judge used this finding in his written judgment against the USA in general and the government in Washington in particular. The legal specialist portal “Beck Aktuell” has now reported on this and describes the judge’s statements as “legally and politically remarkable”. The tirade in full:

“Nevertheless, the US state has learned little or nothing since then, which is what has happened in the meantime openly right-wing extremist-populist Government in the USA under its current President Donald Trump, which is now even questioning decades-long alliance commitments from which the USA has massively benefited politically and economically for decades, even if it no longer wants to admit it (or can understand it), should not come as a surprise.

Right-wing extremists have always been the greatest enemies of individual freedom (the ‘other’ or those who think differently), while at the same time they constantly – the lie persistently repeating – as their supposedly greatest defenders act to mislead their own (electoral) people – which unfortunately often works, especially now via ‘social’ media, as the last few years have shown. Next to them are Right-wing extremists usually the most corrupt kind of politiciansbecause the basic ideological basis of right-wing extremism is unreasonably exaggerated (national and individual) egoism is.”


The US embassy in Berlin reacted irritably to the sweeping blow from the Bonn district court. Germany and the USA shared “Western and democratic values,” a spokesman told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”. Rather, fundamental rights are seen as being threatened in the Federal Republic. The US government is “concerned about the potential for democratic regression in Germany due to the steps being considered to ban popular opposition parties.”

The most important things from federal politics at a glance

Subscribe to our free capital newsletter – and read the most important information of the week, selected for you by our Berlin political experts!





However, the speaker did not take into account that a ban on parties in Germany is only possible after a constitutional procedure before the Federal Constitutional Court – and only if a party is actively combative and aggressively directed against the free democratic basic order.

The Cologne Regional Court and the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Justice did not want to comment on the Bonn ruling.

Sources: Bonn Regional Court, “Beck Current”, “Bild” newspaper“Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”