'Oy' of the beholder

Beirut axes statue for resemblance to Star of David

Installation in central square was criticized after a photo on social media showed likeness to Jewish and Israeli symbol from a specific angle

By ToI Staff 19 December 2019, 12:31 pm Edit
A photo that went viral on social media shows a statue in a central Beirut square that, from a specific angle, resembles as Star of David (Courtesy)
A photo that went viral on social media shows a statue in a central Beirut square that, from a specific angle, resembles as Star of David (Courtesy)

Officials in the Lebanese capital Beirut removed a statue from a central square in the city earlier this month after a viral photo showed that from a certain angle it looked like the Jewish Star of David.

Authorities were reportedly concerned due to the symbol’s centrality in the flag of Israel, which Lebanon considers an enemy state.

A report on New Lebanon Online translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute criticized the decision by Beirut Governor Ziad Chbib, noting that from most angles the statue by British artist Nathaniel Rackowe, installed in 2018, looks nothing like the Jewish and Israeli symbol.

While the reporter agreed that “the Israeli entity is Lebanon’s number one enemy,” he accused those who led to the statue’s removal of being “ignoramuses who know nothing about culture and art.”

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