'Anti-Palestinian' crackdown in Australia sees pianist's show axed after Gaza dedication

British-Australian Pianist Jayson Gillham had his Melbourne show cancelled, following his criticism of Israel's war on Gaza at the start of the recital.

The comments, made on Sunday at a performance in the Iwaki Auditorium alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), saw Gillham play a piece composed by Australian composer Connor D'Netto titled Witness.

According to D'Netto the song is a commemoration of journalists killed in Gaza, with Gillham reiterating that commemoration when introducing the piece.

According to a transcript released by Gilham's management, he reminded the auditorium that Israel had killed more than 100 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, since war broke out on 7 October.

"A number of these have been targeted assassinations of prominent journalists as they were travelling in marked press vehicles or wearing their press jackets. The killing of journalists is a war crime in international law, and it is done in an effort to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world," he told the audience.

"In addition to the role of journalists who bear witness, the word 'Witness' in Arabic is 'Shaheed', which also means martyr."

After the pro-Gaza comments, the MSO said that it is reworking its programme, with Gillham's Thursday performance removed from the schedule.

In an email to ticket holders, the MSO apologised for any "offence and distress" caused by the remarks and said Gilham's performance D'Netto was a late addition to the performance.

The MSO told Australia's ABC News that it "was not made aware of the content of the remarks Mr Gillham was intending to make", and that the remarks "went beyond the remit of his contract".

One attendee told ABC News that Gillham's performance received massive applause from the audience.

Australia's Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) issued a statement on Wednesday describing the cancellation as a "major over-reach and compromises artistic freedom of expression".

It called on the MSO to "take full responsibility and rectify a crisis of its own making".

The cancellation comes amid a hot debate in Australia over the war in Gaza with pro-Palestinian activists saying their voices are being silenced.

A recent report also showed that two-thirds of applications visa applications to Australia from Palestinians from Gaza have been rejected by authorities since 7 October. 

Opposition leader Peter Dutton told Sky News that accepting the visas of Palestinians fleeing Gaza is "not prudent" and puts Australia's national security at risk.

His comments were criticised by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as stoking divisions.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed 39,929 people and wounded a further 92,240, including 113 journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, leaving much of the enclave in rubble and causing a humanitarian catastrophe.