Obama to Berlin audience: ‘We can’t hide behind a wall’

The former US president, Barack Obama, has made a call for international engagement as he told an audience of tens of thousands in Berlin that “we can’t hide behind a wall.” Obama was discussing democracy and global responsibility with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, as the country marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It was Obama’s first speaking event in Europe since he left the White House in January. German Protestant church members and visitors from all over the world crowded a square in front of the Brandenburg Gate amid high security.
At the 18th-century monument in Berlin, Obama and Merkel took questions about shaping democracy from a teacher, an actor, a social worker and a student. After lauding Merkel as someone who had done “outstanding work,” Obama launched a defence of his own presidency and the values of liberal democracy championed by both leaders.

Citing the rise of nationalism and xenophobia in parts of the world, Obama told the crowd that “we have to push back against those trends that would violate human rights or suppress democracy or restrict individual freedoms.”

In questions to both leaders on the refugee crisis, Obama said nation states had a duty to help people in need but also to make clear to their own populations the interconnected nature of the world.

“When we provide development aid to Africa or we are involved in conflict resolution in areas where war has been taking place, we make investments to try to deal with climate change. If there are disruptions in these countries, if there is bad governance, if there is war or if there is poverty; in this new world that we live in, we can’t isolate ourselves,” he said. “We can’t hide behind a wall.”

Obama said he was “heartbroken” by the suicide attack in Manchester on Monday and he and Merkel had sent a a joint message of condolence to the families of those killed.