Messages of ‘hate’ invade kid’s exhibition at Powerhouse Museum

Anti-Semitic messages full of “extremism and hatred” and written by visitors, some of them children, appeared at a school holidays exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, it has been claimed.

Anti-semitic messages full of “extremism and hatred” and written by visitors, some of them children, appeared at a school holidays exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, it has been claimed.

Visitors to the Ultimo museum reported that at the start of February a display of messages from children who visited the museum included slogans like “from the river to the sea,” which is widely interpreted as a call to eliminate the state of Israel.

One Sydney mother who took her children to the museum over the holiday said, “Most of the notes presented kids innocent drawings but among them, hidden in between kids works, there were notes ... presenting hatred and political agenda.”

“Those notes (were) there only for one reason - to spread hatred towards Jews.”

Another witness said, “I don’t know what made me more upset, the fact that they were there, among so many lovely other drawings and messages; or the fact that these children are so brainwashed to parrot these slogans, when they can’t even spell the place they are supposed to be supporting.”

Images of a children's art display at the Powerhouse museum earlier this month. Some were clearly written by adults -- calls to wipe out Israel - "from the river to the sea", others call for an "end to occupation"., When a Jewish woman complained to the Powerhouse museum, they totally dismissed her complaint.

Images of a children's art display at the Powerhouse museum earlier this month. Some were clearly written by adults -- calls to wipe out Israel - "from the river to the sea", others call for an "end to occupation"., When a Jewish woman complained to the Powerhouse museum, they totally dismissed her complaint.

The Daily Telegraph has chosen not to publish their identities for safety reasons.

Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said, “To see genocidal slogans calling for Israel to be erased and support for the Palestinian cause that has just plunged Israel and Gaza into such misery is disturbing on many levels.”

“The museum is a place to nourish inquisitive minds. It is not a place to spread divisive propaganda and force narrow political views on others.”

A spokesperson for the museum, which has recently closed for a three year renovation, said they acted to remove the messages as soon as they were alerted to them.

“The Powerhouse Museum does not condone any form of hate speech or antisemitism.”

“A complaint was received and the message left behind by a member of the public was removed before reopening the next morning,” they said.

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