The Australian PM did not budge from his position of inviting Herzog to the country, the first visit by an Israeli leader after the deadly Bondi Beach attack
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that he is “devastated” over the violent clashes between police officials and protestors who are demonstrating against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney.
“These are scenes that I think shouldn’t be taking place,” Albanese said. His comments came after police arrested 27 protestors late on Monday.
The Australian PM did not budge from his position of inviting Herzog to the country, the first visit by an Israeli leader after the deadly Bondi Beach attack. Albanese defended Herzog’s visit by saying it would help the Jewish community heal, but received opposition from pro-Palestinian groups in Australia.
Video footage of the protests, which drew an estimated 6,000 people, appeared to show several physical confrontations between police and demonstrators outside Sydney’s Town Hall and surrounding areas, including officers apparently punching protesters and dragging away Muslim men who were praying.
‘Worst clashes in history’
Rally organiser Palestine Action Group said that the violent clashes between police and protestors are the “worst” ones seen in recent years.
“We should have had the right to march,” Josh Lees from the group told ABC News, adding that “all of this could have been avoided” if police had allowed protestors to march from Town Hall to either the New South Wales Parliament or Hyde Park.
Meanwhile, protestors have planned another rally in Sydney on Tuesday outside the city’s police station, calling for charges against many people to be dropped and for police officers who had used physical force to be investigated.
Pro-Palestinian groups are opposed to Herzog’s visit, as the UN commission last year concluded that the president was among Israeli leaders who “incited the commission of genocide” against Palestinians via their speeches and statements.
Herzog’s speech
Herzog visited Sydney on Monday to honour the 15 people killed when gunmen opened fire during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14. The president laid a wreath outside the Bondi Pavilion in heavy rain during a sombre service attended by members of the Australian Jewish community.
He said people of all faiths would “overcome this evil” and that “the bonds between good people of all faiths and all nations will continue to hold strong in the face of terror, violence and hatred”.
Herzog told the
community that their pain was felt by “all Jews”, adding that he had travelled to “express solidarity and offer strength”. The four-day visit has been welcomed by many Jewish Australians, with Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry saying the trip would “lift the spirits of a pained community”.
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