A bomb threat that forced the evacuation of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from his Canberra residence was linked to multiple emails targeting Shen Yun, a touring Chinese art troupe which has historically faced criticism from Chinese authorities and pressure to cancel its performances worldwide.

The emails threatened to detonate large amounts of nitroglycerin, claimed to have been placed around the prime minister’s Canberra residence, The Lodge, if Shen Yun’s upcoming Australian performances went ahead. According to the threats, the Lodge would be “blown into ruins and blood will flow like a river”.

Though later ruled a hoax, it resulted in the evacuation of the prime minister on February 24 and highlighted political tensions surrounding both Shen Yun and a recent rise in threatening rhetoric directed at Australian politicians.

What is Shen Yun?

Shen Yun is an entertainment troupe known for its large-scale acrobatic performances of classical Chinese dance, culture, and music, which it self-brands as depicting “China before communism”. Founded in New York in 2006, the troupe tours globally and has been described by some critics as an “eastern Cirque du Soleil”.

Shen Yun is operated by Falun Gong, a religious movement inspired by traditional Chinese meditative practices and known for its opposition to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its promotion of conservative political views and politicians.

The Chinese government has historically sought to block Shen Yun’s performances overseas through diplomatic pressure, framing it as a “political tool used … to promote … cult doctrines and amass wealth”. RMIT professor Yu Haiqing, in an interview with The Conversation, said the CCP’s resentment of Shen Yun came from it “disrupting the premise” that only the Chinese government “can define Chinese culture”.

What happened at The Lodge?

Between February 10 and 22, several anonymous emails written in Mandarin were sent to Shen Yun organisers, detailing the plot against The Lodge.

After alerting the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated to a secure location around 6pm on February 24 while the residence was searched. He returned about 9pm that night after the threat was investigated and ruled out.

The following day, Albanese posted a light-hearted photo of his dog Toto to social media, reassuring the public and thanking well-wishers for messages of support.

Who said what?

Federal Opposition leader Angus Taylor condemned the use of threats as “utterly abhorrent” on X, and stressed the important of “expressing … differences through debate”.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, in an ABC interview, called the incident “troubling” and echoed Albanese’s call to “take the temperature down” in regard to political discourse.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson used the incident to reflect on her own safety concerns – “being in Albanese’s shoes”, while condemning the use of violence as “not the answer”.

The Chinese Embassy in Canberra condemned the attack, while denying any knowledge of the incident and criticising Shen Yun as a “notorious cult” that “distorts and desecrates Chinese culture”, while a spokeswoman for the Falun Dafa Association (a Falun Gong organisation), blamed the incident on “CCP-linked intimidation tactics”.

What does it reveal about threats to politicians?

To some the bomb threat was seen as indicative of escalating political animosity in Australia. The AFP received 951 threats towards politicians in 2024-2025, a 63 per cent increase since 2022, with threats made towards women politicians and high-office holders considered “particularly troubling”.

Meanwhile, a 2025 survey of federal politicians and staff found 85 per cent had faced threatening behaviour from their own constituents, with nearly half experiencing such events multiple times a month.

Experts have attributed these statistics to a wide variety of factors, such as COVID-era misinformation, the war in Gaza, and rising anti-immigration sentiments, all contributing to public resentment against the government.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation head Mike Burgess warned, days before the Lodge threat, such tensions were causing the state of national security to be “flashing red”, while Deakin University sociologist Josh Roose, speaking to SBS, described such incidents as “just the tip of the iceberg”, and warned the danger lies in its potential to “cross the threshold into action”.

Photo montage: Wikimedia and Shen Yun supplied.