German Chancellor Angela Merkel took time to meet and discuss refugee policy with international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and her husband, and actor, George Clooney.
The couple are currently in Berlin to promote George's new film "Hail, Caesar!," at the Berlin Film Festival. They announced during a press conference that they intended to meet Chancellor Merkel, the leading figure in the EU's response to the refugee crisis, according to the BBC.
To date, Germany has accepted 1.1 million refugees in 2015, the number of applications for asylum continue to increase. However, Merkel has faced harsh criticism at home and abroad for her policies on refugees.
George Clooney, famous actor but who also describes himself as a humanitarian, told reporters: “I absolutely agree with [Merkel]”.
The couple have also made plans to visit a centre for refugees.
The Clooneys were accompanied by David Miliband, former British foreign secretary now at the head of aid group International Rescue Committee. "We (...) talked about the responsibilities of all states, not just European states but states around the world to deal with what is a global problem, not just a Syrian problem or a German issue," Miliband told The Associated Press.
The refugee crisis has been a highly divisive and controversial issue in Berlin. The Mayor of the German capital, Michael Müller, urged Germany to consider its past when considering the refugee issue. "Building new walls and barbed wire, shooting at refugees — these are messages that must never be transmitted from Germany ever, ever again," he told the audience at the film festival.
