Rejected asylum-seekers could escape deportation from Berlin if they are the victims of far-Right violence, under new proposals being considered by the regional government.

The move puts the Berlin state authorities on a direct collision course with Angela Merkel’s national government, which is calling for deportation policy to be tightened in the wake of last month’s Christmas market terror attack.

Mrs Merkel on Monday called for a “national effort” to deport rejected asylum-seekers, and pledged that “anyone who does not have the right of residence must be returned to his own country”.

But the Berlin state government says it will consider exempting anyone who has been a victim of far-Right violence.

“An exemption would be a powerful political signal to those who think that whoever wants to chase refugees out of the country should attack them,” Andrea Geisel, the Berlin state interior minister, told Tagesspiegel newspaper.

“To this I say no. Whoever is a victim of far-right violence will enjoy our double protection and will not be deported.”

Deportation has become a hot political issue in Germany since it emerged that Anis Amri, the Berlin Christmas market attacker, was allowed to roam the country freely despite his claim for asylum being rejected.