Police are carrying out inquiries after a Star of David necklace on Amy Winehouse‘s statue in Camden was covered by Palestine flag sticker.
The sticker was found on Monday (February 19) on the bronze statue of the late British artist, which is situated in Camden Market.
The statue of the singer – who died in 2011, aged 27 – was erected in her hometown in 2014.
The sticker was “removed immediately” after being discovered and reported to police.
Camden Market wrote on Twitter yesterday: “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 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.”
London 2024. Where a Star of David can't be displayed (even on a statue of a dead singer) without being covered with a Palestinian flag pic.twitter.com/pRfGryNPo4
— Etan Smallman (@EtanSmallman) February 19, 2024
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A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a statement (via Sky News): “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.”
1/2 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 (@CamdenMarket) February 19, 2024
Winehouse was raised Jewish by her parents in North London and often wore a Star of David necklace, including during performances. She previously said she was “not religious”, but her brother Alex Winehouse once shared in a statement (via The Guardian) that she was “incredibly proud of her Jewish-London roots”.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism described the incident as an act of anti-Semitism in a statement.
“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,” they said.
“Right now, 69% of British Jews say that they are less likely to show visible signs of their Judaism right now. When even a statue of a Jewish person can’t get away with it, is that any surprise?”
A new biopic about Winehouse’s life called Back To Black is out this April.