But by Friday, many, including the 14-year-old refugee, had come to her defense, with some arguing that while the chancellor may be emotionally awkward, the criticism reflects an underlying distrust of Germany that’s rooted in its Nazi past.
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Reem – who entered Germany four years ago with her family and is now facing deportation – said: ‘I have goals like anyone else. “It’s very upsetting to see how others can enjoy life, and I can’t”. “I don’t know what my future will bring”.
Merkel expressed sympathy before defending her government s asylum policies.
Olaf Boehnke, a political analyst, said the way the episode was portrayed in some media fed the cliche of the “ugly German” that still prevails 70 years after the end of World War II.
Merkel would not have wanted to be caught on camera telling a young, intelligent but helpless, weeping refugee that she might not be able to stay in Germany, at a meeting entitled, of all things, “The Good Life in Germany”.
The group discussion continued for a few minutes until Merkel noticed that Reem was crying.
“But you did a great job”, Merkel said.
While trying to explain to the young girl that Germany simply can not manage the situation, Merkel makes a mockery of a serious issue by doing the following.
Merkel told the teenager: “Politics is hard”, adding that although Sahwil seemed like a likable person, Germany could not cope with the influx wanting to come to the country.
Rarely has Angela Merkel been so directly confronted with the consequences of her own politics.
However the video drew a powerful backlash, with detractors saying the German leader lacked empathy.
The hashtag #merkelstreichelt (merkelstrokes) and video clip of Merkel’s exchange with the girl went viral.
Yeah, I want to caress Merkel too.
“This week has been fantastic for German public diplomacy”.
Angela Merkel has proven to be a heartless woman, making a poor teenage refugee girl cry during the live TV talk show.
However Ms Merkel also had defenders.
“She was honest and certainly not cold”, prominent leftist journalist Ines Pohl said.
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“I know that it’s a hard situation”, Merkel shot back.
