Police warn Sydney protesters ahead of Israeli president's visit / Photo: © AFP/File
Police warn Sydney protesters ahead of Israeli president's visit
Australian authorities warned protesters to avoid violence in Sydney's streets when Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits on Monday to honour victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting.
Police say they will deploy in large numbers for the Israeli head of state's visit following the December 14 attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration that killed 15 people.
"It's really important that there's no clashes or violence on the streets in Sydney," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Saturday.
"Our clear message is in an unambiguous way that we're hoping that people can remain calm and respectful during that presidential visit."
The state premier promised a "massive policing presence" in Sydney on Monday afternoon.
State police declared the Sydney visit to be a "major event", a designation that allows them to separate different groups to reduce the risk of confrontation.
Herzog has said he will "express solidarity and offer strength" to the Jewish community in Australia during his four-day visit, which starts Monday.
The trip has been welcomed by many Jewish Australians.
"His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community," said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community's peak body.
Pro-Palestinian activists have called for protests nationwide, however, including in parts of central Sydney where police have refused to authorise demonstrations under new powers granted after the Bondi Beach attack.
- 'Full immunity' -
Amnesty International Australia has also urged supporters to rally for an end to "genocide" against Palestinians, and urged Herzog be investigated for alleged war crimes.
High-profile Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti -- a member of a UN-established inquiry into rights abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories -- called this week for Herzog's invitation to be withdrawn, or for his arrest on arrival.
The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry found in 2025 that Herzog "incited the commission of genocide" by saying all Palestinians -- "an entire nation" -- were responsible for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Australia's federal police have ruled out an arrest, with senior officials telling lawmakers this week that they received legal advice Herzog had "full immunity" covering civil and criminal matters, including genocide.
Critics have accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left government of moving too slowly to protect Jewish Australians ahead of the Bondi Beach shooting despite a rise in antisemitic attacks since 2023.
Alleged Bondi Beach gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack.
An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.
(T.W.Lukyanenko--DTZ)
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