A local council in New South Wales has refused to host a memorial artwork listing the names of 18,457 children killed in Gaza, telling organisers the installation posed an unacceptable risk to staff and visitors. The work, "Wall of Tears" by American artist Phil Buehler, was due to go on show at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in Nowra on Tuesday, organised by the community group Shoalhaven Friends of Palestine.

The council's decision followed a risk assessment that raised the prospect of protest, counter-protest and community conflict around the politically sensitive subject. Organisers were advised to look into hiring armed guards for the exhibition, and to cut its run and restrict entry to invited guests only. Emails later showed that the council's chief executive, Andrew Constance, a former state Liberal MP, had decided against hosting the event on staff safety grounds.

A council spokesperson said the installation "was deemed to present an unacceptable level of risk to gallery staff, visitors and tenants of the building", and did not explain what had triggered the safety concerns. The organisers said they had agreed to the conditions put to them and were still turned away, a claim the council has not publicly answered.

The memorial names children killed in Gaza between 7 October 2023 and 19 July 2025. It was first displayed publicly in New York on 29 January, marking the second anniversary of the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab, and has since toured Australia, appearing in Adelaide and Perth and on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra in September 2025. Following the refusal, the work will now be installed at Berry Uniting Church, opening on Thursday. Buehler said anyone who simply looked at the work would see it was not dangerous, arguing that the sense of danger was being imposed by others misrepresenting it.