Outrage after DJ leads antizionist chants at Sydney Biennale

Sydney’s Biennale of Sydney has come under renewed criticism after an American DJ used a festival performance to accuse Israel of genocide and lead chants supporting Palestinian “resistance” during the taxpayer-funded event.

The incident occurred during a set by DJ Haram at White Bay Power Station on Friday night. During the performance she led chants including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “long live the resistance” and accused Australia of being complicit in what she described as an “ongoing genocide by Israel”.

The remarks have triggered strong condemnation from Jewish community leaders and politicians, particularly because the Biennale receives substantial public funding and follows criticism of the anti-Israel selection of artworks. The festival receives about $1.6 million from the NSW government and $879,000 from the federal government.

NSW Minister for the Arts John Graham, who attended the opening night but left before the performance, condemned the remarks afterwards and sought assurances from organisers about how Jewish audiences would feel welcome at the festival.

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane also criticised the incident, saying a publicly funded cultural event should not become a platform for inflammatory political statements at a time when social cohesion in Australia is under strain.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said the episode confirmed concerns the organisation had raised about the festival before it opened.

“The fact that this dangerous rhetoric was propagated on the stage of an event which received significant NSW government funding is scandalous,” Ossip told The Australian.

He said references during the performance to a “Zio-Australian-Epstein empire” were antisemitic and added that celebrating “martyrs” or “the resistance” amounted to support for terrorism.

“It took less than three hours after the start of the Biennale for our concerns to be completely vindicated,” he said.

The Biennale of Sydney said the views expressed during the performance did not represent the organisation.

“The views expressed by the performer were entirely her own and do not represent the views of the Biennale of Sydney, our board, or our government and corporate partners,” a spokesperson said.

“The Biennale of Sydney does not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism or any form of hate speech.”

The organisation confirmed that a review of the incident was underway.

The controversy follows earlier criticism of the 2026 Biennale over what some Jewish community leaders have described as a pattern of anti-Israel messaging in the exhibition. Critics have pointed to artworks and exhibition texts that present accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as established fact rather than as contested political claims.

Those concerns prompted the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies to decline an invitation to preview the exhibition earlier this week. The organisation said at the time it was worried about antisemitic rhetoric linked to some participating artists and the absence of Jewish perspectives in the program.

Former Biennale director Morry Schwartz has also warned about antisemitic commentary linked to artists associated with the event.

The festival’s artistic direction has drawn scrutiny as well. The 2026 Biennale is led by Emirati curator Hoor Al Qasimi, whose appointment has been questioned by some Jewish community figures because of her political views and the prominence of artists critical of Israel in the program.

The latest controversy has intensified debate about whether publicly funded cultural institutions should allow political advocacy of this kind on their stages, particularly at a time of heightened concern about antisemitism in Australia following the Bondi terror attack late last year that killed 15 people.

The Biennale of Sydney runs until June across multiple venues throughout the city.