Pro-Palestinian protesters are set to rally in Melbourne on Thursday, the final day of President Isaac Herzog’s trip to Australia, following earlier demonstrations in Canberra and violent clashes between protesters and police in Sydney.
Herzog is visiting Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, following the December 14 terror attack at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.
The visit has sparked opposition from some activists in Australia, who accuse Herzog of complicity in civilian deaths in Gaza. Protesters cite a United Nations Commission of Inquiry report issued last year that alleged Israel committed genocide in Gaza and that senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Herzog, incited such acts. Israel has rejected the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
“Our message to all Australians is simple: the time to march is now. For all the Palestinians who have been killed, for all those still alive but starving,” said Jasmine Duff, a co-convener of Students for Palestine, which plans to protest outside a major Melbourne railway station Thursday evening.
Graffiti discovered Thursday at the University of Melbourne calling for Herzog’s death has been referred to police, the university said. There is no indication the vandalism was connected to the planned protests.
Herzog, who also visited Sydney and Canberra during the four-day trip, said Thursday that antisemitism in Australia was “frightening and worrying.”
“There is antisemitism. It is frightening and worrying, but there is also a silent majority of Australians who seek peace, who respect the Jewish community and want dialogue with Israel,” he told Channel Seven.
He described claims that he was involved in genocide in Gaza, a charge frequently voiced by protesters, as “a lie.”
Police and demonstrators clashed in Sydney on Monday evening, with 27 people arrested after protests against Herzog’s visit turned violent. Both sides accused the other of assault, and police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd in the city’s central business district.