Australian police are defending their response to chaotic clashes at a large pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit, as activists decry excessive force and authorities cite necessity.
The demonstration opposed Herzog’s trip, arranged by the government to support the Jewish community after a deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach on 14 December. Gunmen killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl, at a Hanukkah event.
Protesters highlighted a UN commission finding that Herzog’s rhetoric “incited the commission of genocide” against Palestinians, including his claim that “it’s an entire nation out there that is responsible” for the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks.
Thousands gathered at Sydney’s Town Hall under major event rules that allowed static protests but banned marches. A court bid to lift restrictions failed just before the rally began. After speeches, crowds chanted “let us march” and clashed with police, who used batons, pepper spray and arrests. Footage showed officers dragging Muslim men mid-prayer.
Police reported 27 arrests, nine charges and 10 officers assaulted in “rolling fights.” Commissioner Mal Lanyon said officers showed remarkable restraint and “did what they needed to do.” Premier Chris Minns called it “an impossible situation last night,” urging people “not to look at a 10-second clip without the full context.”
Josh Lees of the Palestine Action Group said all of this could have been avoided with permission to march, calling it the “worst” violence recently. The Australian National Imams Council deemed footage of praying men being hauled away “shocking, deeply disturbing, and entirely unacceptable.”
“I got pushed so hard my feet left the ground after I told them I was a member of parliament,” Greens MP Abigail Boyd claimed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, meeting Herzog Tuesday, said he was devastated by the scenes that “shouldn’t be taking place” but defended the visit, noting protesters undermined their cause. Another rally is planned outside a police station, demanding dropped charges and officer probes.