Berlin had "turned a blind eye" to the fact that many refugees who arrived in Germany "were socialized in countries of origin where hatred of Israel is taught even to children," said the German chancellor.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared to be fighting back tears on Tuesday as his voice broke during an address in which he recalled the atrocities committed against the Jewish people by Nazi Germany.
Speaking at the reopening ceremony of a Munich synagogue destroyed by the Nazis almost 87 years ago, Merz said he was appalled that Jew-hatred had flared up again in Germany, the DPA agency reported.
“I would like to tell you how ashamed I am of this: as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, but also as a German, as a child of the post-war generation, as a child who grew up with ‘never again’ as a mission, as a duty, as a promise,” Merz explained in his speech.