MPs in stoush over art display naming killed Gaza children

A bitter dispute erupted in Western Australia's parliament over an art exhibition that names children killed in Gaza, leading to the four-day suspension of a Nationals MP. The exhibition, titled 'Wall of Tears' by American artist Phil Buehler, displays the names of more than 18,000 children who have died in Gaza since October 2023. It was exhibited in the parliament's courtyard. During a parliamentary debate, Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter declared the event had crossed a line, accusing it of "vilifying" Western Australia's Jewish community and calling it antisemitic. Hunter clashed with the deputy speaker over the relevance of his comments during a debate on essential services for vulnerable people. His defiance led the legislative assembly to vote for his suspension. Speaker Stephen Price stated that Mr. Hunter's response went beyond noncompliance, as he challenged the Deputy Speaker to remove him. Liberal and Nationals MPs, along with an independent member, voted against the suspension. Outside parliament, Hunter, the MP for Central Wheatbelt, accused the Speaker, a Labor MP, of engaging in political maneuvering. This marks Hunter's second suspension this year. He asserted that "Labor used their absolute majority to shut down a member of the opposition for standing up and speaking for vulnerable Western Australians." He reiterated his claim that "Antisemitism … actually occurred in the courtyard of the parliament on Tuesday evening." Earlier, Hunter had suggested the art event became political and antisemitic after Greens MP Sophie McNeill spoke about the children named in the artwork as victims of "genocide." Liberal MP Simon Ehrenfeld also took issue with McNeill's comments, stating, "We all weep the death of every person in this war, but it is inescapable that many of these children were used by Hamas as combatants in the war." Ehrenfeld described the event as a "propaganda piece used against Israel," adding, "If you had 100 of these wars, you would not even begin to touch what was genocide in our history." A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel denies, calling the report "distorted and false."

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The member's response went beyond mere noncompliance. He effectively challenged the Deputy Speaker to remove him from the chamber.