Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters rallied across Australia on Monday to oppose the state visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog,
with demonstrations intensifying in major cities including Sydney and Melbourne.
The protests were held amid heightened security,
as Australian authorities warned that demonstrators risk arrest if they join an unauthorized march from Sydney Town Hall to the New South Wales Parliament.
The route falls within a protected security zone designated during Herzog’s visit.
Police in Sydney used pepper spray and clashed briefly with protesters earlier in the day as demonstrators gathered in the city’s central business district.
Despite restrictions, organizers said further rallies
were planned across the country later in the evening.
A legal challenge filed by the Palestine Action Group seeking to overturn protest
restrictions was rejected by a Sydney court on Monday,
effectively clearing the way for police enforcement.
New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said authorities were attempting to manage the situation through coordination rather than force.
“We’re hoping we won’t have to use any powers because we’ve been liaising very closely with –
the protest organisers,” he told Nine News.
The demonstrations coincide with Herzog’s four-day visit to Australia, which began at Sydney’s Bondi Beach,
where he laid a wreath in memory of victims of last year’s deadly mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration that killed 15 people.
Speaking at the memorial, Herzog described the attack as an assault on democratic values.
“This was also an attack on all Australians,” he said,
citing the sanctity of human life, freedom of religion, tolerance, dignity, and respect.
Protesters, however, accuse Herzog of inciting violence against Palestinians and have used his visit to renew
calls for accountability over Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied territories.
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