Merkel was speaking at a meeting of schoolchildren in Rostock this week, when a Palestinian girl questioned her about laws regarding deportation.
The girl, named Reem, shared her personal immigration story, revealing how her family have struggled to integrate after four years in the country.
Reem told of how her father, a welder, was not entitled to work in the country, and she expressed fears that she wouldn’t have a future there, despite studying and becoming fluent in five languages.
Merkel’s response was: “If we say, ‘you can all come’, and ‘you can all come from Africa’…we just can’t manage that.”
When Reem began to cry, Merkel told her that she had “done a great job” and stepped over to awkwardly stroke her hair.
At this point, the meeting’s moderator challenged Merkel, saying: “I don’t think it’s about doing well, I think this is a stressful situation for her…” Merkel snapped back: “I know it is a stressful situation for her, but I’d still like to caress her because we don’t want to bring you in such a situation that you have difficulties.”
Since the footage was aired, Merkel has come in for criticism over her handling of the situation, with many branding her ‘heartless’ and ‘low’.
Check out the original footage below.
