ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: A moment now of reality colliding with politics.</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: At an event called Good Living in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with some schoolchildren.</s>CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL: (Speaking German).</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: A Palestinian girl who's lived in Germany for four years told Merkel that she wanted to continue her education but her family fears they will be deported.</s>CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL: (Speaking German).</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Merkel tells her, "I understand, but politics is hard sometimes. There are thousands of Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon. If we say you can all come here, we can't cope with that."</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: A few moments later, the girl began to cry.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Merkel walked over to her, stroked her gently on the shoulder and said, I know it's a difficult situation.</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: The chancellor's reaction led to a Twitter hashtag that translates as Merkel stroke. A member of the opposition Green Party tweeted, the mistakes in the government's refugee policies can't be patted away.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: But not everyone is critical of Merkel. Some Germans have praised her reaction, as many towns and cities are now struggling to accommodate large numbers of refugees.
At a recent event, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met a Palestinian girl, who said she hoped to stay in Germany. When Merkel explained why she couldn't, the moment caught the people's attention.