Justin Bieber compares treatment of paparazzi after car accident to death of Princess Diana
The pop star accused photographers of acting "recklessly" after his red Ferrari collided with a paparazzo’s Prius in West Hollywood
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In another episode of "Justin Bieber places foot firmly in mouth", the singer stirred further controversy by comparing a recent run-in he had with the paparazzi to the death of Princess Diana.
The pop star accused photographers of acting "recklessly" after his red Ferrari collided with a paparazzo’s Prius in West Hollywood.
US media reports suggest that the photographer had been tailing Bieber ahead of the accident.
He claims he was forced to slam on the breaks and perform and emergency stop in his Ferrari. Neither party were harmed in the incident, and the sportscar escaped with scratched paintwork.
Nevertheless, Bieber took to Twitter to voice his anguish over the event.
"There should be laws against what I just experienced," he wrote, before adding, perhaps melodramatically: "We should have learned from the death of Princess Diana...
"...I don't have a problem with Paparazzi but when they act recklessly they put us all in danger."
Diana, the Princess of Wales tragically died on 31 August in 1997 as the result of injuries sustained after she suffered a car crash in the Pont d’Alma road tunnel in Paris. She was 36. Her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz, Henri Paul, also perished. The bodyguard of Diana and Dodi, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor.
The media initially blamed paparazzi, who were following Diana’s vehicle, for the crash. However, a jury in 2008 concluded that the "unlawful killing" was caused by "the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes through alcohol" as well as the drivers of the following vehicles.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.