‘Simply Unacceptable’: Anti-Israel Mob Clashes With Australian Police During Israeli President’s Visit

An Australian police chief lashed out at the “angry and violent mob” that marched on police in Sydney in protest of a visit by the Israeli President which led to the arrest of 27 people. “What happened last night was simply unacceptable. What we saw was a large number of people coming out to George Street at the end of the protest and marching on police, not once but twice,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters. Mr. Lanyon said the protestors gathered on Monday near Town Hall, which was under strict restrictions due to the president’s visit, accusing the speakers of inciting the crowd “too much.” “We had made it clear throughout the week that a march through the CBD (Central Business District) was not acceptable. Police did what they needed to do, which was to hold the line and move the protestors back with a view to dispersing them. That was designed to keep the community safe.”“What you saw was police being confronted multiple times by a section of that crowd intent on disturbing and disrupting police lines,” he added. The police chief said that officers had to keep both protesters and mourners separate: “They were caught in an impossible situation by keeping those groups separate. We were hopeful for some kind of calm and responsibility; the truth is, we didn’t get that.”Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “devastated” by the violent clashes between police officers and anti-Israel demonstrators in Sydney which came as President Isaac Herzog visited Sydney to pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack. “Australians want two things. They don’t want conflict brought here. They want killing to stop, whether it’s Israelis or Palestinians, but they do not want conflict brought here,” Mr. Albanese told radio station Triple M.“The causes are not advanced by these sorts of scenes – they are undermined,” he added. Mr. Albanese defended Mr. Herzog’s visit to Australia, which brought thousands of angry anti-Israel protestors on the streets of Sydney: “When the Jewish community asked for their head of state to visit, I think it is appropriate that people be allowed to mourn.”“This visit is an important opportunity for President Herzog to stand with Jewish Australians and remember those innocent lives lost on December 14th,” he added. President Herzog meanwhile addressed antisemitism and Israel-Australia relations at an event at Moriah College in Sydney, lashing out at the demonstrators. “I know that the demonstrators and protesters who are cursing us, saying the biggest lies and affirmations against our nation, do not want to hear this, but I believe that the silent majority of Australians definitely want to hear and move back on track,” he said. Mr. Herzog also joined Mr. Albanese for a dinner at his residence on Tuesday following a memorial service at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue. “Prime Minister Albanese, we have known each other a long time. I thank you for being here, and for the reception your government has extended to me. You are an important world leader. We are calling out the despicable phenomenon that has had devastating ramifications, especially on the free world. Terror aims to threaten the free world, to debase its values,” Mr. Herzog said in a public statement.

‘Simply Unacceptable’: Anti-Israel Mob Clashes With Australian Police During Israeli President’s Visit

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