Canberra beefs up police presence for Israeli President Herzog visit

A significant police presence was in place in Canberra on Wednesday as Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the Australian capital, with protests taking place outside Parliament House.

Herzog’s four-day visit, which started on Monday in Sydney under heavy security, has drawn protests across the country, with critics accusing Israel of human rights violations in the Gaza conflict.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) chief police officer, Scott Lee, on Tuesday said that there would be “a significant and dedicated police presence … on Canberra’s streets” as authorities expected further protests during Herzog’s visit.

Herzog arrived at Government House on Wednesday morning and met Governor-General Sam Mostyn. According to broadcaster ABC, hundreds of people had gathered on the lawns in front of Parliament House around lunchtime.

On Monday, the Israeli president visited the site of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, in which 15 people were killed at a Jewish festival in December.

On Monday evening, 27 people were arrested in Sydney’s city centre during a protest against the visit. New South Wales Police charged a number of people with assault and public order offences.

Herzog has met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whom he was set to meet again later on Wednesday, as well as members of the Jewish community, survivors and victims’ families. He is also scheduled to travel to Melbourne.

Albanese defended the Israeli leader’s presence on Tuesday, saying that the “visit is an important opportunity for President Herzog to stand with Jewish Australians and remember those innocent lives lost on December 14th.”