ISTANBUL

Police and protesters clashed as thousands of people took to the streets across Australia to protest Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit that began on Monday, local media reported.

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Pro-Palestinian rally in Melbourne against Herzog visit

Thousands of protesters are on the streets in the capital, Canberra, and in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as the police attempted to control the crowds that chanted slogans against Herzog, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

Police were seen attempting to restrain protesters in Sydney, and people were heard chanting, "We will march."

Herzog is in Australia on an official visit, as police, Israeli security, and snipers shadowed the Israeli president and his wife's every move since he touched down in Sydney to meet with Jewish communities in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack in December.

Around 5,000 demonstrators gathered at Sydney's Town Hall after a Supreme Court judge rejected an urgent legal challenge by the Palestinian Action Group against powers granted to New South Wales Police.

🪧 'War criminals are not welcome here'

🌏 Thousands rally across Australia against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit, demanding accountability over Gaza

📌 Herzog’s visit comes amid a Gaza ceasefire that Israel has repeatedly violated https://t.co/9CnYokDGbz pic.twitter.com/B7DMgjjxr6

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) February 9, 2026

Some 200 police were stationed around the Sydney rally, where speakers condemned Herzog, calling him a war criminal and condemning Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza.

About 30 more rallies were expected to take place across the country as protests over Herzog's four-day visit.

Soon after his arrival, Herzog visited Bondi Beach, where he laid a wreath outside the pavilion in tribute to the 15 victims of a mass shooting that occurred during a Hanukkah celebration on Dec. 14, 2025.

Addressing the media, Herzog condemned the "spread of antisemitism as a global emergency."

Security in Sydney has been tightened, with road closures in place at several points and more than 3,000 police officers deployed.

A UN Human Rights Council special commission of inquiry into the war in the Gaza Strip found last year that Israel was committing genocide and said comments made by Herzog following the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, were evidence of genocidal intent.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Jewish Council of Australia launched a major advertising campaign in major Australian newspapers on Monday, expressing opposition to Israeli President Isaac Herzog's official visit.

The council published an open letter signed by over 1,000 Jewish Australian academics, legal professionals, artists, and community leaders, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to withdraw his invitation.

Other Jewish groups welcomed Herzog's visit. Alex Ryvchin, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive, said it would lift the spirits of the Jewish community.

Herzog's visit comes as a ceasefire halted an Israeli offensive that began in Oct. 2023, killing over 72,000 Palestinians and wounding more than 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.

Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli army has continued to violate it, killing 576 Palestinians and wounding 1,543 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.