# ‘River to the sea’: DJ praises martyrs in antisemitic Biennale speech

[**Paul Karp**](https://www.afr.com/by/paul-karp-p537v1)*NSW political correspondent*

Mar 14, 2026 – 11.49am

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A DJ playing the opening night of Sydney’s Biennale has unleashed an antisemitic denunciation of Israel supporting violent resistance and accusing the Australian government backing the arts festival of complicity in genocide.

The American DJ, DJ Haram, took to the stage at 10pm on Friday night at the White Bay Power Station in Sydney, beginning her set with a speech dedicating the performance to targets of Israel’s military actions and vowing that “one day they will all be free from the Zionist entity”.

The speech has been condemned by the NSW Arts Minister, John Graham, who was in attendance earlier in the evening but left before the remarks, and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, which labelled it hateful and argued it amounted to supporting terrorism.

NSW Arts Minister John Graham. **Jessica Hromas**

Organisers said they are reviewing the incident, had no prior knowledge of the remarks and they do not represent the views of the Biennale, which opposes antisemitism and all forms of racism and hate speech.

At an arts festival which receives $1.6 million from the NSW Government and $879,000 from the Australian Government through Creative Australia, DJ Haram accused Australia of being complicit with the “ongoing genocide by Israel”. The DJ said Israel had murdered thousands of civilians “many of them, if not most, children”.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza [has reported](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-4-february-2026) more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, a figure [not disputed by Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-believes-70000-gazans-killed-in-war-as-claimed-by-hamas/) – although it argues its military action is legal and an act of self-defence against the Hamas attacks.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” DJ Haram said, echoing a phrase which [top Australian officials have said is inherently violent](https://www.afr.com/world/middle-east/river-to-the-sea-explained-in-one-map-and-two-charts-20240522-p5jfqo). The NSW Premier Chris Minns has said his government will not ban the phrase because there are “multiple interpretations of it” although it should be condemned by civic leaders.

Sydney’s Biennale occurs just three months after the worst terror attack in Australia’s history, in which two apparently ISIS-inspired shooters killed 15 people including 13 Jewish people at Bondi Beach, leading to restrictions on protest in a bid to improve social cohesion. The arts festival has already come in for criticism over what some perceive as a disproportionate focus on alleged genocide by Israel and social media posts by one of its featured artists, Bhenji Ra.

DJ Haram expressed solidarity with those who were “tireless, and unafraid of the police state, inquisitive, unafraid of censorship, poverty, and every other weapon they can and will use against us”. She dedicated the performance to pro-Palestine artists, writers and activists including Bhenji Ra, Mahmoud Khalil and Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Abdel-Fattah’s disinvitation from the Adelaide Writers Festival led to a boycott by other speakers and the collapse of the festival; her scheduled appearances at Newcastle and Sydney Writers Festivals have also[ prompted backlash](https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/sydney-writers-festival-defends-randa-abdel-fatteh-invite-20260218-p5o387) including [among sponsors](https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/kpmg-pulls-branding-from-sydney-writers-over-abdel-fattah-invite-20260219-p5o3p2) and Minns, who [has criticised her](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-06/randa-abdel-fattah-author-to-attend-newcastle-writers-festival/106312828) but warned against adding to her “notoriety”.

DJ Haram said that she refused to “art-wash the genocide” or be “a token of shallow diversity” at the festival, “not while censorship is becoming law and we pretend to live in a democracy”. “Not while my people are dying.”

DJ Haram blasted “the Zio-Australian-Epstein empire”, a phrase appearing to link Israel to the crimes of convicted sex offender and New York financier Jeffrey Epstein which earned a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd. “Until Palestine is free none of us are free,” she said.

DJ Haram then led attendees in a chant of “long live the resistance”. “Glory to all our martyrs.”

David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said it took “less than three hours after the start of Biennale for our concerns ... to be completely vindicated”. “So much for the assurances by CEO Barbara Moore that the festival would be welcoming for anyone who walked in the door.”

“Amongst other hateful rhetoric, references to the Zio-Australian-Epstein empire are pure antisemitism and celebrating ‘martyrs’ and the ‘resistance’ is nothing less than showing support for terrorism.”

“The fact that this dangerous rhetoric was propagated on the stage of an event which received significant NSW Government funding is scandalous.

“Biennale’s Board … have serious questions to answer about how they allowed their festival to become a platform for such hate and there may need to be external government intervention to prevent a repetition of last night.”

The NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said “the Biennale should be used to unite people around art and ideas, not be turned into a platform for polarising attacks”.

“When taxpayer money is involved and at a time where social cohesion is a concern, the Government should at least be asking questions about how this was allowed to occur,” she told *The Australian Financial Review*.

Graham said “I strongly condemn the remarks”. “These comments are inflammatory and wrong. They make people feel unwelcome. We need to turn the temperature down.”

“Sydney is still grieving months after 15 people were murdered simply because they were Jewish. The Biennale needs to publicly spell out how it will make Jewish audiences feel welcome after these comments.”

A Biennale spokesperson said it is “aware of the statements”. “The Biennale of Sydney did not commission, approve, or have prior knowledge of these specific remarks. The views expressed by the artist are entirely her own and do not represent the views of the Biennale of Sydney, our Board, or our government and corporate partners.”

“While the Biennale provides a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, we require all public discourse by our representatives and participating artists to be lawful and in strict accordance with our Code of Conduct. We are currently reviewing this incident internally.

“The Biennale of Sydney does not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, or any form of hate speech. Our core mission is to be a unifying force and to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all audiences.”

In November 2024 the [International Criminal Court](https://www.afr.com/link/follow-20180101-p5ksvj) applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister, Yoav Gallant. In September 2025 [a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded](https://www.afr.com/world/middle-east/un-inquiry-finds-top-israeli-officials-incited-genocide-in-gaza-20250916-p5mvku) that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including Netanyahu had incited these acts – accusations that Israel denied and called scandalous.

Sydney Biennale: DJ Haram launches antisemitic tirade against Israel at opening night