Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Justin Bieber hoped 'great girl' Anne Frank 'would have been a Belieber'

The 19-year-old singer and his entourage are said to have paid a visit to Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House on Friday night

Liam O'Brien
Monday 15 April 2013 08:16 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Justin Bieber hopes Anne Frank “would have been a Belieber,” according to a message the teenage pop star allegedly wrote in the guestbook of a museum dedicated to the late Jewish diarist.

The 19-year-old singer and his entourage are said to have paid a visit to Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House on Friday night.

Anne Frank spent more than two years during the Second World War hiding from Nazi persecutors in an annex of rooms above her father’s office. Her family was betrayed, and Frank was sent to a concentration camp, dying of typhus in 1945 aged just 15. Her posthumous diary became a worldwide bestseller.

Clearly deeply touched, Bieber felt compelled to share his thoughts on the museum’s moving exhibitions.

Posting on Facebook, Anne Frank House wrote: “Yesterday night Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House, together with his friends and guards. Fans were waiting outside to see a glimpse of him. He stayed more than an hour in the museum.

“In our guestbook he wrote: ‘Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.’”

While many girls Frank’s age are fans of the platinum-selling pop star, some Twitter users and Facebook commenters found Bieber’s comments about the resistance heroine crass and self-centred.

Anne Frank House has previously posted other, less incendiary messages left by celebrities in its guestbook. Earlier this year, Kelly Osbourne allegedly wrote: “Anne, thank you for telling your story and showing the world what really happened. You changed the world. Thank you for your bravery.”

Whoopi Goldberg has also visited the museum. She said she was “so happy to return to the place of peace”.

Bieber was in Amsterdam ahead of a tour date in the nearby city of Arnhem.

The European leg of the star’s Believe tour has already proved controversial. He had to leave his pet monkey with customs officials in Munich after failing to produce the proper paperwork, while in London he was chastised for being two hours late to a concert and swearing at a paparazzi photographer.

A source close to Justin Bieber told The Independent: “Justin had read Anne Frank’s diary and wanted to visit the museum to learn more about her.

“It was explained to him during the tour that she was a big fan of culture, even cutting out photos and putting them on her wall. The guy said to him that she probably would have been a big fan of yours, as she was a fan of popular culture.

“This is an entirely positive situation that someone is trying to turn into a negative. The kid was doing a good thing, and now more people will learn about Anne Frank as a result.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in