Revisiting Justin Bieber’s Controversial Antics

No doubt, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is a best-selling artist with innumerous Beliebers (his fans are called that), but he’s also a controversial singer who’s often in the news for his bad behaviour.

And that’s the reason why the singer of hit songs such as Sorry, Let Me Love You and Boyfriend, among others, has been banned from performing in China. The temporary ban came to light after someone posted a question on the Beijing Culture Bureau’s website last weekend, asking why Bieber wasn’t allowed to perform in mainland China, as part of his Asia tour in September.

“Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer. As far as we are concerned, he has engaged in a series of bad behaviour, both in his social life and during a previous act in China, which caused discontent among the public,” read a statement by Beijing’s Culture Bureau.

Bieber’s behavioural issues date back to 2012, when he was accused of rash driving in his hometown. He was then accused of vandalism during his concert in Brazil in 2013.

In July 2013, a video surfaced online which showed the singer spitting on his fans from his hotel room balcony in Toronto. Bieber, however, denied it. “Justin didn’t spit on anyone. No fans were below the balcony,” his rep said, adding, “Justin loves his fans. Earlier in the day, Justin bought his fans hot chocolate and played them some of his new music.”

In January 2014, Bieber was accused of “throwing eggs and damaging property worth thousands of dollars in California. The local court ordered the then 20-year-old to pay a fine worth 80,000 dollars and was also ordered community service for five days. He was also sent on two years probation.

Two weeks later, Bieber was arrested in Miami along with singer Khalil for driving under influence (DUI) and drag-racing on a Miami Beach Street. Police said that Bieber had confessed to authorities that he had consumed alcohol, smoked marijuana and taken prescription drugs.

In June 2014, a video surfaced where a 15-year-old Bieber was seen cracking a joke on African Americans. The same month saw another video of a 14-year-old Bieber parodying his song, One Less Lonely Girl, as One Less Lonely Ni***r. He went on to say that he’d want to be a part of an extreme cult group, Ku Klux Klan, only to later apologise. “Facing my mistakes from years ago has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever dealt with,” he said.

In September, the same year, he was arrested for assault and dangerous driving in Ontario. According to the police, the singer had indulged in physical altercation with the driver of the mini-van that his car had hit. However, he was later released, and the lawyer blamed the entire incident on the Canadian paparazzi.

Bieber doesn’t share a great relationship with Latin countries either. In June 2014, a local court in Buenos Aires, Argentina, ordered him to show up in court “within 60 days” to give his testimony, after he was accused of hitting a photographer during his concert in 2013. As expected, Bieber didn’t show up, and an arrest warrant was issued.

At the same gig (in 2013), Bieber had left Argentines fuming after he kicked their National Flag and used his mic stand to wipe it off the stage. “I don’t like having to defend myself but this time it was needed as I mean no disrespect,” he later apologised. But guess what? Two years later, something similar surfaced! A fan posted a video of Bieber throwing out the Argentinian National Flag out of his car in New York!