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The day after Donald Trump's election victory, a video has emerged showing a group of American school children chanting the Republican's slogan "build that wall".
In the footage, a small group of pupils at Royal Oak Middle School in Michigan can be heard shouting the slogan in their school dining hall on Wednesday, allegedly reducing other children to tears.
Dee Perez-Scott, who posted the video on Facebook where it has been viewed over four million times, wrote: "This happened today at Royal Oak Middle School in Royal Oak Michigan. It is so sad. Latino children were crying," adding that the scene was "just horrifying".
"Build that wall" was one of the most controversial slogans used by Mr Trump during his campaign and refers to his promise to build a wall along the border between the US and Mexico - and to force Mexico to pay for it.
He first proposed the barrier during his candidacy announcement speech in June 2015, saying he would "build a great wall" on America's southern border, before adding: "I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”
Police were deployed at the school on Thursday following concerns that children who chanted the slogan could be in danger of threatening and offensive comments online.
Lt Keith Spencer of the Royal Oak Police Department told The Detroit News: "We are aware of the video and are monitoring comments on it as it gets shared."
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A statement issued by the school acknowledged that parents had expressed concern about the safety of the students following the incident.
Royal Oaks Schools' Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin said: "In the incident a small group of students engaged in a brief “build the wall” chant. School personnel in the cafeteria responded when this occurred.
"We are committed to providing a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment for all students. We addressed this incident when it occurred. We are addressing it today. We are working with our students to help them understand the impact of their words and actions on others in their school community.
"In responding to this incident – indeed in responding to this election – we need to hear each other’s stories, not slogans, we need to work towards understanding, not scoring points, and we need to find a way to move forward that respects and values each and every member of our community. We will be working on this in school today. Please work on this with us."
Exit polls from Tuesday’s voting suggest Mr Trump's vow to build a wall between the US and Mexico has not earned major support among voters. A total of 54 per cent of voters said they were opposed to the idea of a wall.
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