Australia hosting an Israeli president facing war crimes allegations while police clash with protesters diminishes us all
Violent clashes between police and protesters in Sydney during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit have ignited debate over protest rights, proportional policing, and Australia’s stance on the Gaza conflict.
Police Response at the Sydney Rally
A New South Wales policing expert who participated in the Sydney rally against the Israeli president’s visit has called the police response “disappointing” and said violent clashes with protesters could have been prevented.
Law professor Luke McNamara attended the protest outside Town Hall in the CBD on Monday to oppose Isaac Herzog’s Australian tour. Footage emerged showing officers repeatedly punching protesters and using pepper spray at close range.
The premier, Chris Minns, on Tuesday called the response “proportionate” and defended controversial restrictions that gave police enhanced move-on powers and effectively banned protesters from marching from Town Hall to state parliament.
The Guardian
The Political Optics of Hosting Isaac Herzog
For Australia to host the Israeli President, a leader facing serious international allegations over conduct in Gaza, and then witness violent clashes between police and protesters, diminishes us all in the Pacific.
In the wake of the Bondi tragedy, the Australian Labor Party appears increasingly aligned with strongly pro-Israel advocacy groups, much like the British Labour Party.
Criticism of Israel and the Antisemitism Debate
By framing criticism as antisemitism, some pro-Israel advocates have blurred the line between legitimate scrutiny of state actions and prejudice against Jewish people.
People who are horrified by Israel’s military actions are not criticising Jewish people; they are criticising state conduct and the treatment of civilians in an occupied territory.
Any state engaged in such controversial military actions would face international scrutiny and criticism.
Australia has ignored legitimate criticism to roll out a blood red carpet for Herzog.
Protest Rights and Democratic Standards
Hosting a leader facing serious allegations is one thing; allowing heavy-handed policing of protesters is another.
Criticising a government’s military conduct is not the same as attacking a religion or an ethnicity — and democracies should be mature enough to understand that distinction.
It is a troubling moment for Australian democracy.
Satire: “Tie My Kangaroo Down”
Tie my kangaroo down, sport, tie my kangaroo down
Motorcades roll through the city, shut the whole place down
Helicopters, riot lines
Politicians reading lines
Tie my kangaroo down, sport, tie my kangaroo down
Press say “peaceful, nothing wrong”
Footage edits half the song
Banners folded, chants erased
Boots and batons take their place
Smile for cameras, move along
Tie my kangaroo down, sport, keep the optics clean
Nothing happening here tonight you’re meant to see
Barricades and “public good”
Order kept the way it should
Tie my kangaroo down, sport, cue the TV screen
President arrives in town
Critics pushed and kettled round
Security’s the headline word
Not the voices barely heard
Keep the motor running, drown it out
Tie my kangaroo down, sport, law and order show
Every dissenting drumbeat told it’s time to go
Flags and flashing cobalt blue
Democracy in hi-vis too
Tie my kangaroo down, mate, run the status quo
