The incident of a Palestinian flag covering a Star of David necklace on an Amy Winehouse statue is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
Winehouse, who died in 2011, aged 27, lived in London’s Camden neighbourhood. The life-size statue of the late Winehouse, who belonged to the Jewish faith, was installed in 2014 at Camden Market. On Monday, it was flagged on X that the Star of David had been covered by a Palestinian flag.
The flag was removed on Monday, Camden Market, which is one of London’s most popular tourist destinations, said. “This morning we were made aware that a member of the public had placed a sticker over the Star of David necklace on the Amy Winehouse statue in the North Yard of Camden Market. This was removed immediately, and the incident was reported to the police,” Camden Market said in a statement on X. “Camden Market remains first and foremost, a place of diversity – a global destination that welcomes everyone. Any form of discrimination on our estate will not be tolerated.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of an image being shared on social media which shows the statue of Amy Winehouse in Camden Market with a pro-Palestinian sticker placed over the Star of David. We know this will have caused upset to many people. We are making enquiries with Camden Market to establish the circumstances and what evidence, such as CCTV footage, may be available.”
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism added: “Covering the Star of David, a well-known symbol of Judaism, on the statue of a British-Jewish singer, with a sticker of the Palestinian Authority flag, is antisemitic. Right now, 69% of British Jews say that they are less likely to show visible signs of their Judaism. When even a statue of a Jewish person can’t get away with it, is that any surprise?”