Major Australian cities turned into open confrontation zones between security forces and thousands of protesters denouncing the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, amid accusations that police used excessive force to suppress demonstrators demanding Herzog be prosecuted over the genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Australian authorities urged calm on Tuesday following a violent night in Sydney and Melbourne, the country’s two largest cities, which resulted in the arrest of 27 people and the use of tear gas and pepper spray to disperse crowds.
Observers described the scenes as the worst level of social division Australia has witnessed in decades.
What happened?
In Sydney, angry crowds clashed with heavy security deployments. Eyewitnesses reported police using horses to charge protesters and spraying pepper spray indiscriminately, affecting journalists and activists.
Police violence extended to other groups as well. Greens MP Abigail Boyd announced that she was punched directly by officers. According to Reuters, she said: “I am in severe pain and shocked by what happened.”
Senator David Shoebridge published video footage documenting officers punching a protester who had his hands raised, stressing that security violence spared no one.
In contrast, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns defended police actions, describing the situation as “difficult and tense”. He said officers were required to make rapid decisions under volatile and highly pressured circumstances.
Echoes of anger
The group Palestine Action Sydney added another dimension, stating in a release that protesters were unable to leave the area because police had surrounded them from all directions.
“The police began attacking the crowd with horses, spraying pepper spray indiscriminately, punching and arresting people,” the group said.
Anger over the Israeli president’s visit did not remain confined to the streets, but extended to calls for legal accountability.
In Melbourne, thousands of protesters chanted slogans labelling Herzog a “terrorist”, citing United Nations reports issued in 2025 accusing Israeli leaders of incitement to genocide in Gaza.
The group Palestine Action called for an investigation into Herzog on war crimes charges under Canberra’s international obligations.
An open letter
Anger also reached segments of the Jewish community in Australia. Academics and Jewish community leaders stated in an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that hosting Herzog constitutes “an insult to human values” and undermines social cohesion in Australia.
An independent United Nations inquiry concluded in 2025 that Israel committed genocide in Gaza from the outset of the war on the Palestinian territory.
According to the commission, Herzog and other Israeli leaders “incited genocide” in Gaza. Israel rejected the report, claiming it was biased and false.
In an attempt to contain the outrage, Albanese expressed his “frustration” over the violence and called for unity. However, observers argue that the visit exposed a deep gap between Australia’s official stance and popular mobilisation.
While the federal police pledged to grant Herzog “full immunity”, human rights advocates argue that such immunity does not absolve him of moral and political responsibility for the ongoing massacres in the Palestinian territories.
Hanukkah shadows
Herzog’s four day visit to Australia, which began on Monday, follows a shooting incident during a Jewish religious celebration known as Hanukkah on 14 December at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people.
Herzog said his visit aims to “express solidarity and provide support” to the Jewish community.
How Haaretz responded
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that protesters chanted slogans condemning Israel and Herzog, including: “Herzog is a terrorist”, “Globalise the intifada”, “No solution except intifada revolution”, and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
According to Anadolu Agency, the newspaper quoted Senator Lidia Thorpe during her participation in the protest as saying she stands in solidarity with the victims of Bondi as well as with Palestinians. She stressed that defending Palestinians is not antisemitism, before asking pointedly: “Why do our leaders stand with those who sign bombs that kill innocents?”
The left leaning newspaper also quoted Shahar, a young Israeli protester, as saying: “I am here to show Herzog and the rest of the Zionists that the world, especially Australia, does not accept Herzog on our land, nor his ideology.”
Finally, the paper said the visit “exposed divisions within the Jewish community in Australia”, pointing to a letter issued by the Australian Jewish Council on Monday, signed by one thousand Jewish Australian academics and community leaders, urging Albanese to withdraw the invitation to Herzog.
Haaretz also quoted Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti describing Herzog’s visit as “a mad idea”.
Sidoti said: “This is one of the most divisive figures in the world. Bringing him to Australia will undermine social cohesion, not rebuild it. It will deepen division and will not achieve national unity.”
