German chancellor Angela Merkel urged Harvard graduates - “tear down walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness”
German chancellor Angela Merkel urged Harvard graduates Thursday to “tear down walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness” in a speech with satire at President Trump and his political discretion without mentioning his name.
Climate Change
She also urged to students to work together on climate change - “threat climate change poses to our planet’s resources”. Possibly she remembered President Donald J. Trump already declared about his position on Paris climate agreement in 2017 that he will pull out U.S.A. from it.
She Emphasized On Gloabalization
Chancellor also insisted - “multilateralism instead of unilateralism,” a “global” way of thinking rather than a national one, and “being open-minded instead of isolationist.”
She also acknowledged her country’s historic responsibility, as well as the beauty of forgiveness, with: "The relations between Germany and the US, too, shows how former enemies can become friends."
On that moment, she spoke about the importance of transatlantic relations based on shared values. She took reference on George Marshall's famous 1947 Harvard opening speech enunciation on rebuild Europe after the war.
Rackety Audience
“Protectionism and trade conflicts jeopardize free international trade and therefore the very foundations of our prosperity,” She said and the chancellor received chuckles as well as applause from the audience especially when she seemed to comment on Trump. Though the applause was in much louder when she told those present, "We must be honest with others and with ourselves, and that means not calling lies truth and not calling the truth lies."