If autoflight is on, then autoflight commands flightpath. If it isn't, then flightpath is manual and determined/commanded by the crew. Both are commanded - as far as the flight control logic is concerned it doesn't matter whether the command comes from the autopilot or the human crew.
Some may disagree, but in commonly understood terminology autotrim is not automation in the classic sense because it does not determine flightpath independently. Instead it is slaved to the control inputs of the autopilot or the human pilot depending on which is in control.
If the sidestick traces indicated neutral or nose-down pitch throughout the sequence and the aircraft pitched up into climb and stall, *then and only then* would the systems logic deserve to be under scrutiny, but that's not what happened. The sidestick traces clearly indicate repeated and sustained nose-up inputs which correlate closely with the aircraft flightpath.