Sydney braces for Israeli President’s visit as thousands prepare to protest
Travelers were warned to avoid Sydney’s CBD on Monday afternoon as up to 5000 people were expected to defy protest restrictions to demonstrate against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s state visit.
Mr. Herzog left Israel on Sunday for a four-day visit to Australia; where Anthony Albanese will meet with Jewish leaders, victims and families of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
The President, whose role is mostly ceremonial, was invited by Mr Albanese in the days after the worst terror attack on Australian soil on December 14, which targeted the Jewish community and killed 15 people.
Anthony Albanese defended his decision to invite Mr Herzog to Australia, reminding Australians that the visit was “in the context of the devastating anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Bondi”.
“But I want to point out that President Herzog is coming in the context of the devastating anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Bondi on December 14th,” the Prime Minister told reporters in Perth on Saturday.
“Along with Mayor Herzog, I will be meeting with the families of these victims, innocent lives stolen from people in that local community.
“They were husbands, fathers, daughters, sisters, friends, loved ones. And President Herzog’s visit was to support the Jewish community during a very difficult time.”
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But the visit has sparked plans for protests across the country on Monday, including in Sydney, where restrictions have been imposed on protests under laws hastily introduced following the Bondi attack.
Protesters are expected to defy these restrictions, which prevent attendees from being protected from certain charges, when they march to City Hall at 5.30pm before continuing to the NSW parliament on Macquarie St.
Acting NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Dunstan on Sunday urged protest organizer Joshua Lees to continue negotiating with police.
While Mr Dunstan said Mr Lees had “gone to great lengths to outline his intention and desire for a peaceful and safe protest”, he warned of the possibility of “overflow into public spaces, which could lead to conflict between police and protesters” at City Hall.
Premier Chris Minns last week promised there would be an “overwhelming police presence” in Sydney’s CBD on Monday evening, with officers also given additional powers following a “major incident” slowdown, the first of its kind for a visiting dignitary.
The Palestine Action Group stated that they would object to the appointment in the Supreme Court.
Mr Minns warned everyone in Sydney to reconsider being in the CBD before 5pm on Monday and “try to get out of the city earlier”.
“We have to make sure that Monday night doesn’t turn into some kind of conflict on the streets of Sydney,” he said of the police presence.
“This would send a terrible message to the rest of the world and the rest of the country.”
Mr Herzog’s visit, widely welcomed by the Jewish community, sparked a fierce reaction from pro-Palestinian groups, human rights organizations and some NSW Labor MPs who were allowed to join the protesters on Monday.
Muslim Federal Labor Party MP Ed Husic said last week he was “disturbed” by Mr Herzog’s visit.
Much of the controversy stems from a U.N. tribunal investigation into allegations that Mr. Herzog “incited genocide” in comments he made after the Oct. 7 attacks, and a separate investigation by the International Criminal Court into allegations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
Both Mr. Herzog and Israel deny the allegations.
