Dutch bakery ‘Anne and Frank’ changes name after outcry

Owner reportedly though it would be ‘a nice tribute’

A view of Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Netherlands October 4, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/CRIS TOALA OLIVARES)
A view of Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Netherlands October 4, 2017.
(photo credit: REUTERS/CRIS TOALA OLIVARES)
A bakery in Amsterdam called “Anne & Frank” has said it will change its name after sparking outrage.
According to Dutch media reports, the bakery opened just over a week ago around the corner from The Anne Frank House, a popular tourist site in the city.

The site, now a museum, is where teenager Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis for two years before they were caught and deported to concentration camps. Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen in 1945 at age 15, but her wartime diaries have made her a symbol of Holocaust suffering.
The bakery’s owner, named as Roberto Barsoum in several local media reports, did not anticipate the backlash he received.
“Anne Frank is for many people a hero and for me too,” Barsoum told the local AT5 television station on Monday.
“Because my business is in the neighborhood of the Anne Frank House, it seemed like a nice name to me. She is, of course, world famous.”
Barsoum added that he did not intend “to hurt anyone.
What she has experienced was so much. That’s why I thought it was just a nice tribute.”
According to images posted on social media, by Tuesday Barsoum had removed the words “Anne & Frank” from the bakery window.

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Usage of Anne Frank’s name and image have often been controversial. Last year, a German railway company announced plans to name a new high-speed train after the murdered teenager. After many complained about the insensitive decision, the company eventually reversed course and scrapped its plans to name trains after historical figures.