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Germany
Video: Angela Merkel makes Palestinian girl facing deportation cry
Footage of the encounter has gone viral in Germany.
A YOUNG PALESTINIAN refugee broke down in tears after Angela Merkel told her that she could not stop her family possibly being deported.
The girl called Reem explained to the Chancellor during an appearance that she has been in Germany for the past four years after coming from a refugee camp in Lebanon.
She expressed her fear that she could be deported at any time: ”I have goals in life like everyone else. I wish to go to university. It’s a goal I would like to achieve.
As long as I don’t know how long I can stay here, I don’t know what my future will be.
Merkel replied to the young girl, “I understand what your saying but politics is hard at times.
“You’re a nice person but you know that there are thousands and thousands of people in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and if you say ‘you can come’ and ‘you can all come from Africa,’ we just can’t manage that. ”
At this point Reem started crying before Merkel broke off and went over to comfort the girl, saying, “Oh come here, you did well.”
The presenter pointed out, “I don’t think it’s about her doing well, Chancellor. It’s about this being a very trying situation.”
Merkel replied, “I know that it’s a trying situation. That’s why I want to hug her, because we don’t want to bring all of you into such situation.
Reaction
Footage of the encounter has gone viral in Germany with many people taking to Twitter to express their opinion on the incident.
The government is being called “Regierung ohne Empathie”, meaning ‘government without empathy’ with the hashtag #Empathie trending.
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