Spender backs inquiry but defends Herzog visit

Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender has clarified her position to The AJN after posting concerns on social media relating to alleged police heavy-handedness in dealing with anti-Israel protesters last Monday.

Footage was shared widely online of police using force after demonstrators defied a court order not to gather at Sydney Town Hall to protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog and then ignored police orders not to march.

It led Spender on Facebook to call for an independent inquiry “given the shocking videos that have been shared”.

“I recognise how hard it is for the police to manage the protests, and recognise the behaviour of the protestors at times went from unhelpful to violent, and that short clips don’t tell the whole story,” she told The AJN this week.

“But if the broader citizens are concerned about the images they saw, the only way to address this is an independent inquiry.”