Source : Perth Now news
The Jewish leader is set to carry on with his Australia trip after thousands attended a rally against his visit, which descended into chaos.
Activists were pepper sprayed, arrested, beaten and shoved by officers as they gathered at Sydney Town Hall to speak out against Isaac Herzog, who arrived in the harbour area on Monday.
Organisers had hoped to move through the town but a judge determination, that upheld the officer’s ability to restrict protests, scuppered programs.
As the show drew to an end, the party moved towards the leave, with some trying to leave and people calling on the thousands of surrounding authorities to let them move.
Though there was an return towards the north side of the wall where some may flow out, along most of the block’s mouth, police restricted movement and would not let people move, forcing the large group into a gridlock.
Protesters ‘ slogans rapidly grew louder and the officers appearance swelled.
Officials issued a move-on purchase but some within the huge, tightly packed crowd were vague on directions and the situation immediately devolved.
Officers on foot and on horseback formed a before and rushed at the demonstrators as they attempted to separate the party.
Some were seen beating and deploying pepper spray at spectators, and at one point a group of Muslim guys leading a worship were ripped from their legs and taken away by authorities.
Media, including photography and those with media runs displayed, were violently pushed away from the scene by soldiers.
The roads were lined with doctors kneeling over pepper-sprayed activists, pouring water into their eyes as they sputtered and hacked up mucus.
” Rather of respecting the right of 50, 000 people who turned up to express their anger against our state celebrating people accused of inciting murder, the officers resorted to unleashing unknown aggressive repression”, Palestine Action Group Sydney wrote in a social media post.
Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for assaulting officials.
Prior to the conflict, the crowd stood calmly and chanted in between remarks from people like former Australian of the Year Joy Tame, Israeli academic Antony Loewenstein, and Amnesty International Australia spokeswoman Mohamed Duar.
Protests across other major Australian cities also drew strong attendance as participants spoke out against Israel’s bombardment and starvation of Gaza- which has killed more than 70, 000 Palestinians- and decried photos of Mr Herzog signing an artillery shell that would be dropped on the occupied territory.
Mr Herzog was invited to Australia by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the Bondi mass shooting in mid-December.
He visited the scene of the terror attack on Monday and is set to attend more community events on Tuesday.
Asked by AAP if he had a message to protesters, he claimed the demonstrations “undermine and delegitimise” Israel’s existence.
He previously said Palestinians bore collective blame for Hamas ‘ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, before later walking back the remarks.
A United Nations Human Rights Council commission of inquiry in September found the statement might reasonably have been interpreted as inciting genocide.
The federal government has said Mr Herzog’s visit would provide comfort to the Jewish community.
