German Chancellor Angela Merkel defends her treatment of a crying teenage Palestinian refugee — following a storm of protest on social media.
Merkel tells public broadcaster ARD that she had been honest and sympathetic with 14-year-old Reem, whom she met last week at a public discussion under the banner “Living Well in Germany.”
“I think the gesture was fine,” Merkel, 61, says Sunday.
She claims it would be wrong to tell people that “just because you met the chancellor, we can resolve your case faster than many, many other people’s.
“We are a state under the rule of law,” she adds. “But nevertheless, you want to comfort a crying girl.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attempts to comfort a young Palestinian refugee facing deportation during a televised debate on the country’s asylum policies.
Reem tells the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that she also appreciated Merkel’s matter-of-fact approach.
“It would have bothered me more if she had not been honest,” she says.
— AFP
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