Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is "devastated" by what unfolded during a protest in Sydney on Monday night, while NSW Premier Chris Minns has defended the actions of police.
Protesters who had gathered at Sydney Town Hall to speak out against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's Australian visit were pepper-sprayed, arrested, beaten and shoved by police.
Organisers had hoped to march through the city, but a court decision that upheld the police's ability to restrict protests scuppered plans.
NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter McKenna said police actions were "justified" and he was "very proud" of their conduct.
"I saw the restraint of police tonight. They took more than their time before they utilised any of their powers," McKenna said during a late-night press conference on Monday night.
"It was really quite precarious at times for our officers who were significantly outnumbered by the protesters and the people who wanted to act in a violent and offensive manner."
McKenna said officers had been "threatened, jostled and assaulted" during "melees, rolling fights" and "violent behaviour".
As the demonstration drew to an end, the group moved towards the exit, with some trying to leave and others calling on the hundreds of surrounding police to let them march.
Though there was an exit towards the south side of the block where some could trickle out, along most of the square's mouth, police restricted movement and would not let people march, forcing the large group into a gridlock.
Protesters' chants soon grew louder and the police presence swelled.
Officers issued a move-on order, but many within the immense, densely packed crowd were unclear on directions, and the situation quickly devolved.
Police say 27 people arrested
Police on foot and on horseback formed a front and rushed at the protesters as they attempted to disperse the group.
Others were seen beating and deploying pepper spray at attendees, and at one point, a group of Muslim men leading a prayer were ripped from their knees and taken away by police.
Media, including photographers and those with press passes displayed, were forcibly pushed away from the scene by officers.
The streets were lined with medics kneeling over pepper-sprayed protesters, pouring water into their eyes as they sputtered and hacked up phlegm.
"Instead of respecting the right of 50,000 people who turned up to express their outrage against our government celebrating someone accused of inciting genocide, the police resorted to unleashing unseen violent repression," Palestine Action Group Sydney wrote in a social media post.
Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for assaulting officers.
Prior to the chaos, the crowd stood peacefully and chanted in between speeches from people like former Australian of the Year Grace Tame, Jewish academic Antony Loewenstein, and Amnesty International Australia spokesperson Mohamed Duar.
Anthony Albanese, Chris Minns react to protest scenes
Speaking to Channel Nine's Today program on Tuesday morning, Minns said police had been put in an "impossible situation" and did "everything possible" to avoid confrontation.
"The circumstances that weren't shown on the news this morning or on TV last night is what would have happened if protesters breached police lines," he said.
"As difficult as the scenes were to watch, it would have been infinitely worse if NSW police didn't do their job last night."
Minns said police had opposed the protest because a Jewish community event was happening nearby at the International Convention Centre.
Albanese, speaking to Triple M, said he was "devastated" by what he'd seen from Monday night's rally.
"These are scenes that I think shouldn't be taking place," the prime minister said.
"People should be able to express their views peacefully, but the police were very clear about the routes that were required if people wanted to march to go a particular route, and to ensure that this was done peacefully. But the causes are not advanced by these sort of scenes. Indeed, they're undermined."
Protests across the country
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 since October 2023 — and decried photos of Herzog signing an artillery shell that would be dropped on the occupied territory.
Herzog was invited to Australia by Albanese after the Bondi terror attack in mid-December.
He visited the scene of the terror attack on Monday and is set to attend more community events on Tuesday.
When asked by the Australian Associated Press if he had a message to protesters, he claimed the demonstrations "undermine and delegitimise" Israel's existence.
A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which doesn't speak on behalf of the UN as a whole and has been sharply criticised by Israel, concluded in September that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The commission also said Herzog, Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant had "incited the commission of genocide" in their speeches and statements.
Israel is separately defending a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has ordered provisional measures but has yet to issue a final ruling.
Israel has repeatedly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it has the right to defend itself.
It "categorically" rejected the commission's findings as "distorted and false", while Netanyahu has described the ICJ case as "outrageous" and said Israel has an "unwavering commitment" to international law.
The commission cited comments made by Herzog at a press briefing after Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which triggered the Hamas-Israel war.
In the days after, Herzog said: "It's an entire nation out there that is responsible."
The commission said that while the remarks were not a literal call for genocide, they could reasonably be interpreted, in the context of Israel's military response, as incitement to target Palestinians in Gaza as a group.
Herzog has vehemently denied allegations that his remarks amount to incitement, saying they were taken out of context.
In December 2023, Herzog was also photographed writing the message "I rely on you" on an artillery shell intended for use in Gaza.
The federal government has said Herzog's visit would provide comfort to the Jewish community.
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