Chanting crowds, tight security and a controversial foreign guest collided in central Sydney on Monday evening, leaving pepper spray hanging in the air and reigniting Australia’s debate over Gaza, antisemitism and the limits of protest.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered near Sydney’s central business district as Israeli President Isaac Herzog began a four-day visit, only to be met by riot police and new emergency powers. The Palestine Action Group organised the main rally, calling supporters to the city centre despite recently introduced restrictions on public gatherings following the December 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
Several thousand people attended, many wearing Palestinian keffiyehs and carrying placards condemning Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and Australia’s official welcome for Herzog. Slogans included “I’m not anti-Semitic, I am anti-genocide” and “Arrest Herzog.”
The atmosphere escalated when organisers attempted to march through nearby streets. Police formed lines, blocking the crowd’s movement. Scuffles broke out as protesters pushed against the cordon, and officers deployed pepper spray at close range. Witnesses reported people coughing and struggling to breathe, dousing their faces with bottled water in an attempt to find relief. Police confirmed several arrests, though specific numbers were not immediately available. Additional officers were deployed as the situation grew more volatile before the crowd gradually dispersed.
The crackdown unfolded under expanded powers rushed through by the New South Wales government days earlier. These “major event” measures allow police to cordon off areas, conduct searches without warrants, and impose fines of up to A$5,500 for non-compliance. Authorities argued the laws were necessary to prevent a repeat of the Bondi Beach attack, where a gunman killed 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration.
Civil liberties advocates have raised concerns that the new powers risk turning political protest into a heavily policed privilege. Questions are being asked about the proportionality of the laws and whether they are chilling peaceful protest through the threat of large fines and aggressive policing.
President Herzog’s visit was framed by the Australian government as a gesture of solidarity with the Jewish community following the Bondi Beach shooting. Earlier on Monday, Herzog visited the site of the attack, laying a wreath and placing two stones brought from Jerusalem on the memorial. He stated that “when one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain” and that he had come to “embrace and console the bereaved families.”
Herzog’s schedule includes meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other senior figures in Canberra and Melbourne. Albanese has described the invitation as a step towards “social cohesion” and “a greater sense of unity” following the Bondi shooting.
However, not all Jewish groups welcomed the visit. While the Executive Council of Australian Jewry described Herzog’s presence as deeply meaningful, the Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) – formed earlier this year to campaign against antisemitism while supporting Palestinian rights – criticised the Albanese government for using Herzog as a representative of Australian Jews. A letter signed by 600 Australian Jews and published in major newspapers declared that Herzog “does not speak for us and is not welcome here.” JCA executive officer Sarah Schwartz warned that linking support for Israel’s leadership to Jewish identity could fuel antisemitic narratives.
The Australian National Imams Council and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network also condemned the visit. APAN’s president, Nasser Mashni, described it as “a very bitter pill to swallow” and “a dark day” for Australians watching events in Gaza.
The controversy extends beyond symbolism. A 2023 UN commission of inquiry concluded that Herzog was among several Israeli leaders who had “incited the commission of genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza through public statements made after the October 7 Hamas attacks. Herzog had said that “an entire nation” bore responsibility for the assault and was photographed signing an artillery shell destined for Gaza. Israel rejects the genocide claim, and Herzog maintains his remarks were taken out of context.
Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, a member of the UN panel, has called for Herzog’s arrest during the visit, arguing that traditional head-of-state immunity should not apply to what he terms “atrocity crimes” such as genocide. While such an arrest remains politically improbable, the call underscores the widening gap between international human rights bodies and governments hosting Israeli officials.
