More Australia protests over police crackdown on rally against Herzog visit 

Australia is bracing for more demonstrations, as political leaders and civic groups appealed for calm, after police were accused of using excessive force against peaceful demonstrations against the visit of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to Sydney.

Palestine Action Group Sydney called on supporters to gather on Tuesday afternoon to “protest against police brutality” and demand the resignation of government and police officials over what they described as the “violent repression” of “peaceful” demonstrators.

Violence erupted on Monday evening in the heart of Sydney after police prevented thousands of peaceful protesters from marching in an area of the city that authorities had designated off-limits. Some estimates put the number of demonstrators at 50,000.

Organisers of the protest said police “pepper-sprayed” and “assaulted” rallygoers. Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 allegedly for assault.

Abigail Boyd, an opposition Greens lawmaker in Australia’s state parliament, said she was punched by police officers at the rally and witnessed police violence against others.

“The police were just running at groups of people and sort of corralling them into an area,” Boyd told journalists.

“There was a group of people who were praying because it was evening prayer time. There was maybe 12 of them. They were praying peacefully and it was clear that the police were wanting to move them on in the middle of their prayer,” Boyd said, telling how she was punched by police officers shortly after.

“I got lifted off the ground and then you could see in the video, as I’m trying to regain my balance, another police officer punches me in the head and then I get another one after that, that punches me in the shoulder,” she said.

“I don’t understand how that is a proportionate response to anything. I was not doing the wrong thing. Nor was anybody around me. They then went in and grabbed these people who were praying. You can’t get anything more peaceful than prayer. Picking them up and just throwing them on the ground again,” she added.

“These people were just treated so, so incredibly poorly.”

In a statement to Al Jazeera, the Australian racial justice group Democracy in Colour said it was “horrified” by the “excessive police force” used against the protesters who had gathered to express their objection to Herzog’s visit.

“What we saw last night was not ‘community safety’ – it was a violent display of state power designed to silence people protesting for human rights,” said Noura Mansour, Democracy in Colour’s national director.

“To see police turn pepper spray on peaceful protesters and assault people in the middle of prayer, is a profound violation of dignity and a direct attack” on people’s democratic rights, Mansour said.

Protest organisers say the Israeli president, whom a United Nations commission of inquiry has found to be responsible for inciting genocide against Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli forces, should not be immune from protests against his visit to Australia.

Amnesty International’s Australia chapter said “welcoming President Herzog as an official guest undermines Australia’s commitment to accountability and justice. We cannot remain silent.

“President Herzog has unleashed immense suffering on Palestinians in Gaza for over two years – brazenly and with total impunity,” Amnesty added.

Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 8, 2023, with support from the US, killing at least 72,032 people, including almost 600 killed after the latest ceasefire in October 2025.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “devastated” by the events and appealed for calm.

“Australians want two things. They don’t want conflict brought here. They want killing to stop, whether it’s Israelis or Palestinians, but they do not want conflict brought here,” Albanese told radio station Triple M on Tuesday.

Herzog is visiting Australia following an invitation by Albanese in the aftermath of the shooting of 15 people attending a Jewish festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach in December.

In a statement, the Palestine Action Group Sydney also called on the police to drop all charges against detained protesters, and for New South Wales Premier Chris Minns and police chief Mal Lanyon to resign.

Lanyon said the actions of his officers were justified and referred to the protesters as “an angry and violent mob”.

In a news conference, State Premier Minns said police officers had been placed in “incredibly difficult circumstances”, prompting them to act.