Thousands of people gathered in central Sydney on Monday to protest Herzog's visit, which came after a shooting incident during a Jewish religious ceremony on Bondi Beach on December 14 that left 15 people dead.
Australian police said they detained 27 people, including 10 accused of assaulting officers, after violence erupted Monday evening when protesters refused to leave a protest site in central Sydney, prompting police to move in to clear the road for pedestrians.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his "deep frustration" over the violence, calling on protesters to express their views in peaceful ways.
He told Triple M radio: "Australians want two things: that the conflict doesn't spill over here, and that the killing stops, whether by Israelis or Palestinians," adding that "these scenes don't help achieve the goals, they undermine them."
Police were granted broad powers, including crowd control, restricting access to certain areas, and vehicle searches. A Sydney court on Monday rejected a legal challenge against these restrictions; Herzog was not present at the protest site.
For its part, the Palestine Action Sydney group said that the protesters were unable to leave the place because the police surrounded them from all sides, adding that the police used horses, pepper spray and “indiscriminate arrests,” according to its statement.
Opposition Green Party MP Abigail Boyd also said she was punched by police officers as she tried to leave the protest site. "I'm in a lot of pain in my arm and shoulder from the punches, and I'm very shocked," she told a news conference.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns defended the police actions, stating that officers were forced to make quick decisions under tense circumstances. He told a press conference: "I understand there is criticism of the New South Wales Police Force, but it must be made clear that they were in an extremely difficult situation."
In contrast, Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna claimed that the police actions were justified, noting that they demonstrated restraint. He said, "The situation was sometimes dangerous for our officers, who were far outnumbered by protesters and by individuals who wanted to act violently and aggressively."
