A sculpture of Amy Winehouse in the town of Camden, in northern London, was defaced over the weekend with a Palestinian flag sticker covering the late Jewish singer’s Star of David necklace.
“This is disgusting. Amy Winehouse was a famous Jewish singer who was proud of her Jewish heritage,” wrote the National Jewish Assembly in the United Kingdom. “To put a Palestine sticker over her Star of David is definitely antisemitic.”
“Now people might understand why Jews are skeptical and worried [about] wearing their Star of David in public,” the group added.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote that it had contacted Camden Market, the site of the statue, and was told the sticker would be removed.
“When your movement goes after Jewish symbols and tries to erase Jews, maybe you should ask yourself: What are you actually supporting?” wrote StandWithUs.
The artist who made the sculpture, Scott Eaton, notes on his website that the life-sized work was unveiled on what would have been the artist’s 31st birthday.
“The memorial is located in the Stables Market in Camden, London—Amy’s home for many years,” according to the artist’s site. “The piece was commissioned by Mitch Winehouse and I hope is a fitting tribute from a father to his daughter. I have immense respect for Amy as an artist and wish she was still making music.”
Winehouse (1983-2011) “skyrocketed to fame as a result of the critically acclaimed multiple Grammy Award-winning album Back to Black (2006),” per Britannica. The singer’ “tempestuous love life, erratic behavior and substance-abuse problems stalled her recording career even as they made her a favorite subject of tabloid journalism.”
“They admire the Jews so much that they are trying to claim that they are Palestinians,” wrote Avi Nir-Feldklein, Israeli ambassador to Norway and Iceland. “First, they turned Jesus to be a Palestinian, now Amy Winehouse. Who should be next? Albert Einstein?”
