'His comments were quite innocent': Anne Frank museum steps in to defend pop star Justin Bieber over 'tasteless' comments left in guestbook
The Anne Frank museum has stepped in to defend Justin Bieber after he said that Anne Frank 'would have been a belieber'.
The comment, left in the museum's guestbook by the teen singer during a visit while in Amsterdam on tour, caused outrage on Twitter and social media, with Bieber branded 'tasteless' and 'disrespectful'.
Today, as pictures emerge of Justin Bieber 'shadowboxing' a member of his entourage during the museum, the Anne Frank House came to his defence saying the comments were 'quite innocent'.
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After spending an hour touring the home on Saturday, which opened as a museum in 1960, Bieber wrote a message in the guestbook, which read: 'Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.'
The Anne Frank House shared the star's comments on their Facebook page where many expressed dismay over the young pop sensation's presumptuous remarks.
His note was described it as 'disrespectful,' 'disgusting' and an 'embarrassment to Canadians.'
'Way to turn an inspiring moment into something about yourself,' wrote another.
The post which quickly spread to Twitter and other social networks, where Bieber came under further fire.
One person even tweeted: 'When life gets done with Justin Bieber, I have a feeling it isn't going to be pretty.'
Another wrote in regards to Justin's note in the guestbook: 'I weep for humanity.'
Further driving the point home, an additional shocked Twitter commenter said: 'He has no right to say this.'
Following the outrage the Anne Frank House defended Justin Bieber.
'He was here for more than hour and interested in Anne Frank's life and that for us is the most important thing,' a spokesperson for the museum said.
In an earlier comment the museum explained: 'He's 19, it's a strange life he's living, it wasn't very sensible but he didn't mean bad.'
Anne Frank wrote her now-famous diary while in hiding from Nazi persecution during World War II.
The Frank family moved to Amsterdam from German in 1933 - the same year the Nazis gained control over Germany.
By 1940 the Nazi had occupied the Netherlands, leaving the family trapped in Amsterdam.
In 1942 the family went into hiding in the hidden rooms of Otto Frank's office building, as persecution of the Jewish population increased under the Nazi regime.
But after two years the group were anonymously betrayed and were sent to their deaths at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne died of typhus in 1945.
Otto Frank, Anne's father, returned to Amsterdam after the war and discovered her diary had been saved. It was published in 1947, leading to her posthumous fame.
The Anne Frank House has been open to the public as a museum since 1960.
The comment, left in the museum's guestbook by the teen singer during a visit while in Amsterdam on tour, caused outrage on Twitter and social media, with Bieber branded 'tasteless' and 'disrespectful'.
Today, as pictures emerge of Justin Bieber 'shadowboxing' a member of his entourage during the museum, the Anne Frank House came to his defence saying the comments were 'quite innocent'.
Scroll down for video
'Disrespectful': The Anne Frank House is
generally seen as a place of reflection, however it seems Justin Bieber
was of a different view during Saturday's visit as he shadowboxes a
friend inside the museum
Belieber battle: Hundreds of people left comments on the Anne Frank House's update about Justin that expressed disgust
The 19-year-old singer - who is
currently on tour in Europe - visited the famous home where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazi persecution for two
years during the Holocaust. After spending an hour touring the home on Saturday, which opened as a museum in 1960, Bieber wrote a message in the guestbook, which read: 'Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.'
The Anne Frank House shared the star's comments on their Facebook page where many expressed dismay over the young pop sensation's presumptuous remarks.
His note was described it as 'disrespectful,' 'disgusting' and an 'embarrassment to Canadians.'
From Justin to Anne: 'Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.'
The post which quickly spread to Twitter and other social networks, where Bieber came under further fire.
One person even tweeted: 'When life gets done with Justin Bieber, I have a feeling it isn't going to be pretty.'
Another wrote in regards to Justin's note in the guestbook: 'I weep for humanity.'
Further driving the point home, an additional shocked Twitter commenter said: 'He has no right to say this.'
Following the outrage the Anne Frank House defended Justin Bieber.
'He was here for more than hour and interested in Anne Frank's life and that for us is the most important thing,' a spokesperson for the museum said.
In an earlier comment the museum explained: 'He's 19, it's a strange life he's living, it wasn't very sensible but he didn't mean bad.'
Anne Frank wrote her now-famous diary while in hiding from Nazi persecution during World War II.
The Frank family moved to Amsterdam from German in 1933 - the same year the Nazis gained control over Germany.
Not happy: People took to Twitter to express
their dismay over the pop star's disrespectful comment in the Anne Frank
House guestbook
In 1942 the family went into hiding in the hidden rooms of Otto Frank's office building, as persecution of the Jewish population increased under the Nazi regime.
But after two years the group were anonymously betrayed and were sent to their deaths at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne died of typhus in 1945.
Otto Frank, Anne's father, returned to Amsterdam after the war and discovered her diary had been saved. It was published in 1947, leading to her posthumous fame.
The Anne Frank House has been open to the public as a museum since 1960.
Monument: This statue of Anne Frank stands near her home in Amsterdam, where Justin visited on Saturday and signed the guestbook
