Sydney protest turns violent during Herzog visit
Thousands rally nationwide during President Isaac Herzog’s visit as police clash with protesters in Sydney.
(THE TIMES OF ISRAEL) Thousands gathered across Australia on Monday to protest the arrival of President Isaac Herzog, who is on a multi-city trip aimed at expressing solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community following a deadly mass shooting last year.
Herzog is visiting Australia this week at the invitation of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting at a Chanukah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.
The visit has drawn criticism from some in Australia, who accuse Herzog of being complicit in civilian deaths in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups organised protests in cities and towns across the country on Monday evening.
In Sydney, thousands gathered in a square in the city’s central business district, listening to speeches and chanting pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel slogans. The rally later turned violent, with police deploying pepper spray on protesters and members of the media, including AFP.
An AFP journalist reported seeing at least 15 protesters arrested following scuffles with police.
Crowds also gathered in the centre of Melbourne demanding an end to Israel’s “occupation” of the Palestinian territories.
Protesters held signs declaring “War Criminals Not Welcome Here” and “From the river to the sea, Herzog to the ICC,” calling on Albanese to arrest the visiting president.
“The Bondi massacre was terrible but from our Australian leadership there’s been no acknowledgement of the Palestinian people and the Gazans,” said Jackson Elliott, a 30-year-old protester from Sydney. “Herzog has dodged all the questions about the occupation and says this visit is about Australia and Israeli relations, but he is complicit.”
There was a heavy police presence in Sydney, with a helicopter circling overhead and officers patrolling on horseback.
Police used pepper spray and tear gas to push back groups attempting to breach police lines and march ahead. Several protesters were arrested as they clashed with officers.
Authorities in Sydney declared Herzog’s visit a major event and were authorised to use rarely invoked powers, including the ability to separate and move crowds, restrict entry to certain areas, direct people to leave and search vehicles.
On Monday, the New South Wales Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the Palestine Action Group — which organised the protest — to legally challenge the restrictions on the demonstration.
Albanese urged people to be respectful of the reason for Herzog’s visit, saying he would join the president in meeting the families of those killed at Bondi Beach.
The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry found last year that Herzog could be liable for prosecution for incitement to genocide after he said all Palestinians — “an entire nation” — were responsible for the Hamas attack on Israel.
Israel has “categorically” rejected the inquiry’s report, describing it as “distorted and false” and calling for the body’s abolition.
At the outset of his visit, Herzog said he had “come here in goodwill.”
He accused protesters of seeking to “undermine and delegitimise” Israel’s right to exist.