Sports bar apologises for using Anne Frank ‘oven meme’ in hot weather

A sports bar in the United States has apologised after using a picture of Anne Frank on its social media to compare the hot weather to an oven.

The Atlantic Sports Bar & Restaurant in Tiverton, Rhode Island, shared an image of the Dutch Holocaust victim over the weekend with the caption “It’s hotter than an oven out there – and I should know!”

The bar, which deleted the Facebook post following a backlash, said it realised it had been “incredibly inappropriate”.

It then appeared to have deleted its entire page on the social media platform.

An employee at the bar told local broadcaster ABC6 News that the colleague responsible for sharing the meme did not know who Anne Frank was.

Anne Frank and her family were discovered hiding in the Netherlands in August 1944 after two years in hiding, and transported to the Bergen Belsen camp.

She was 15 years old.

Her diary was kept safe until it was published by Anne´s father, Otto, in 1947, two years after she died.

The book has captivated the imagination of millions of readers worldwide and been translated into 60 languages.

In a statement, the bar said: “the post was poorly thought out and we realise that it was incredibly inappropriate and does not reflect our values as members of our community.

“There is no excuse for the sharing of this post, and there is nothing we can do to rectify it, all we can do now is offer our deepest apology to those who were rightfully hurt by our actions.

“The Atlantic Restaurant prides itself on being a tolerant, inclusive and safe space for all people.”

It added it would be “vigilant in vetting all social media posts to ensure that nothing like the events of this past week ever happen again.”