Authorities in Amsterdam are investigating an antisemitic "projection" on the house Anne Frank hid in during World War II, now a museum that honors her.
According to the museum's website, the projection saying "Ann Frank [sic], inventor of the ballpoint pen" was displayed on its building for a few minutes Monday night, with footage of the incident broadcast in a private Telegram group in the U.S.
"The Anne Frank House organization has learned of this with shock and revulsion," the organization said Friday. "The Secret Annex is where Anne Frank went into in hiding and wrote her diary. The diary of Anne Frank is one of the most important testimonies of the persecution of the Jews during the Second World War."
According to the museum, the text of the display follows claims that the famous teen's diary showcasing the atrocities Jews faced during the Holocaust was a forgery because it was allegedly partially written using a ballpoint pen, which did not go into use until after the war.
"From extreme right-wing circles comes the claim that Anne Frank's diary is a forgery because it was allegedly partly written with a ballpoint pen (which only came into use after the Second World War)," the organization said. "With this they attempt to question or deny the existence of the Holocaust."
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema told Dutch News that the incident was a "cowardly and repulsive deed."
"The projection refers to a conspiracy theory about the denial of the Holocaust," she said. "This is an act of uncut antisemitism and an attack against Anne Frank's legacy, our international symbol of the fight against antisemitism. This is painful for the survivors, relatives of the victims of the Holocaust ... and anyone who is aware of the consequences of hate, racism, and intolerance. The remembrance of Anne Frank should not be disgraced by the loathsome malice of extremists."
According to the news outlet, another projection with white supremacy slogans was made on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands, during New Year's Eve celebrations, which was claimed by the White Lives Matter organization.
"It is a despicable act that tries to cast doubts on the experiences of the witnesses of the Holocaust," Eddo Verdoner, national coordinator for the campaign to combat antisemitism, told the news outlet. "The intent is to inflict direct hurt on the people who survived the Holocaust. People return to these old tropes to be used in the current landscape."
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