AMSTERDAM – Justin Bieber wrote an entry into a guestbook at the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam, saying he hoped the Jewish teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp “would have been a Belieber” — or fan of his — if history were different.
The message triggered a flood of comments on the museum’s Facebook page Sunday, with many criticizing the Canadian pop star for writing something they perceive to be insensitive.
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Calls made and emails sent to Bieber’s publicist and agent in Los Angeles weren’t immediately returned.
Museum spokeswoman Maatje Mostart confirmed that Bieber, 19, visited Friday evening. She said the museum didn’t see anything offensive in his remarks.
Anne Frank hid with her family in a small apartment above a warehouse during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Her family was caught and deported, and Anne died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in 1945.
The diary she kept in hiding was recovered and published after the war, and has become the most widely read document to emerge from the Holocaust.
Bieber’s whole note read: “Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a Belieber.”
A Facebook response insulting Bieber got more than 1,000 “likes.”
Meanwhile on Twitter, posts mocking Bieber and imagining that he had visited the museum and walked away thinking only of himself began circulating Sunday, though the message is open to interpretation.
Some of Bieber’s 37 million followers also tweeted messages of support. Others in his fan base — heavily weighted toward young girls — tweeted that they didn’t know who Anne Frank was.
George W., Laura Bush welcome granddaughter
DALLAS – Former President George W. Bush has become a grandfather.
His daughter Jenna Bush Hager gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on Saturday night in New York City.
The former president announced the birth in a statement Sunday. The baby’s name is Margaret Laura “Mila” Hager.
Jenna Bush Hager is a contributing correspondent for the “Today” show. She’s married to Henry Hager.
The former president said the baby was named for her grandmothers.
He said he and former first lady Laura Bush met their “beautiful granddaughter today,” adding, “Jenna and Mila are healthy. And our family is elated.”
This is a big month for the family.
The George W. Bush Presidential Center will be dedicated April 25 on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
– From news service reports
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