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London statue of Jewish singer Amy Winehouse defaced with Palestinian flag sparks outrage

The offending symbol was placed on the statue, following the arrest of twelve people during pro-Hamas protests.

By The Algemeiner

The authorities at one of London’s most popular open-air markets have confirmed that a sticker of a Palestinian flag placed over the Star of David necklace on a statue commemorating iconic singer Amy Winehouse has been removed.

The offending symbol was placed on the statue over the weekend, following the arrest of twelve people during pro-Hamas protests in central London. The statue of Winehouse is located in north London’s Camden Market, a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Winehouse, whose 2006 classic release “Back in Black” was one of the best-selling albums in UK history, was born into a Jewish family in London and regularly wore her Star of David necklace. She died tragically in 2011 after a long battle with substance abuse.

The first image of the defaced statue was published on X/Twitter by Etan Smallman, a London-based reporter.

“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,” he commented alongside.

When one respondent answered that “Amy would be happy with the Palestinian flag too,” Smallman retorted: “Do you make a habit of channelling the spirit of dead musicians? Or just Jewish ones?”

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Other respondents described the vandalism as “gross” and “disgraceful,” with one person asking, “how low can people go?”

In a statement, the UK-based Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) argued that the vandalism was an accurate reflection of the adversarial atmosphere faced by British Jews since the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in Israel.

“So much for the ‘this is just criticism of Israel’ excuse we hear so often from antisemites who are too cowardly or ignorant to admit what they are,” the CAA said in a statement.

“Right now, 69 percent 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?” it asked.