Justin Bieber has said he hopes Anne Frank "would have been a belieber", after visiting the museum at the Holocaust victim's former home.
The Canadian popstar has received widespread criticism for the comments, which he wrote in the guestbook at Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
Fans - who are known as 'beliebers' - defended the 19-year-old, while a museum spokeswoman sought to play down any controversy caused by his remarks.
Bieber wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."
The Anne Frank Museum wrote about the visit in posts to its Facebook page , prompting a series of accusations over Bieber's perceived insensitivity.
But museum spokeswoman Maatje Mostart said the museum was happy to receive the singer and did not see anything offensive in his remarks.
Ms Mostart said he had called ahead and was given a guided tour. The Buzzfeed website later reported that a tour guide at the museum had pointed out that Miss Frank was a fan of pop culture and may have been a fan of his.
Media commentators and some Twitter users expressed displeasure at the comment.
Comedian Ricky Gervais posted on his Twitter account: "I agree with Justin Bieber. Anne Frank would've loved his stuff. It's perfect for being played really really quietly so no one can hear it."
Scott Simon, host of US-based National Public Radio, said on Twitter: "Anne would be wise enough to just laugh."
Others commended Bieber for caring enough about Anne Frank's story to visit the Amsterdam museum, which is built into the house where she and her family hid before their arrest.
Anne Frank, who died at the age of 15 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, is one of the most well-known and celebrated Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
First published in 1947, her diary has been read by millions across the world and details the deprivations and personal triumphs she and her family experienced in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
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