The arrival of Israel’s president in Australia on Monday to mourn the deaths of 15 people shot at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach set off protests and clashes in Sydney between the police and activists who had objected to his invitation from Australia’s leader.
The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has a largely symbolic role at home, but his invitation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia has incensed some groups. They had called on Mr. Albanese to withdraw the invitation in light of Israeli policies in the war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gazan officials.
Late last month, the progressive group Jewish Council of Australia, which accused Mr. Herzog of being implicated in genocide in Gaza, said his presence “would fuel the flames of division” in Australia and “rightly spark mass protests.” Israel has denied it committed genocide in Gaza. The war was set off by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 abducted.
Ahead of the visit, Mr. Albanese defended his invitation to Mr. Herzog in support of the Jewish community in Australia “at what has been a very difficult time,” after the Bondi Beach attack in December. The Australian leader also said that people had “a right to express their views.”
The New South Wales police had been bracing for the protests. Ahead of a planned rally at a town hall, they warned that there were restrictions in place on public assembly in parts of Sydney’s Central Business District.
Late on Monday, the law enforcement agency said that it had concluded a “major operation” in the district. In a statement, it said that “thousands of participants” had gathered at a town hall and later assembled to march together, despite restrictions on marching and requests that protesters disperse. According to the police, “a number of scuffles broke out,” and 27 people had been arrested. Paramedics also treated a number of people after officers used pepper spray on the crowds, the police said.
Palestine Action Group Sydney, which was among the organizations that had objected to Mr. Herzog’s invitation, denounced the police’s response in a social media post on Monday. “We utterly condemn the brutal attack by the NSW Police against a massive peaceful protest against Issac Herzog,” the group said, accusing officers of “unleashing unseen violent repression.”
Mr. Herzog, for his part, does not appear to have publicly addressed the objections to his visit. A statement from his office upon his arrival in Australia on Monday said that he would meet with members of the Jewish community and senior Australian leaders.
“My visit to Australia, to all of you, is one of solidarity, strength, and sincere friendship from the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” Mr. Herzog wrote on social media from Australia. “Together, we must confront the evils of antisemitism, extremism, and terror here in Australia and around the world.”
On Monday, Mr. Herzog also addressed a crowd of mourners for the victims of the Bondi Beach attack, the worst mass shooting in Australia in decades.
“I was deeply moved to meet, embrace and speak to thousands of members of Sydney’s incredible Jewish community,” he said on social media afterward. “Amidst the pain of the Bondi attack, the community has shown exceptional strength, spirit and faith.”
The shooting confirmed the worst fears of some in the Australian Jewish community that they faced growing danger. Before the attack, some in the Australian Jewish community had said the government was not doing enough to curb rising antisemitic sentiment and vandalism, which had increased during the war in Gaza.
Australians widely condemned the Bondi Beach attack, which was deemed an act of terrorism, and the government later passed new gun-control and hate-crime measures. But the longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues to cause divisions across the country.
Last month, a literary festival, Adelaide Writers’ Week, was canceled after writers protested the withdrawal of an invitation to Randa Abdel-Fattah, a Palestinian lawyer, academic, writer and critic of Israel.
The board had said it would “not be culturally sensitive” to have her speak shortly after the Bondi Beach shooting. That prompted a fierce backlash from international literary luminaries who dropped out of the event, ultimately leading to the festival’s cancellation.
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
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