Herzog visit LIVE updates: Israeli president continues Sydney visit after chaotic scenes in CBD; Police claim actions against protesters ‘justified’

Good morning and welcome to our continued live coverage of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney.

Here’s what you need to know this morning:

• Herzog arrived in Sydney on Monday as part of a visit arranged after the Bondi Beach massacre that killed 15 people and injured dozens more, mostly Jewish, on the first night of Hanukkah in December.
• The NSW Supreme Court on Monday rejected an urgent legal challenge to sweeping powers granted to police for Herzog’s visit to Australia.
• Palestine Action Group (PAG) spokesman Josh Lees said a protest at Town Hall and planned march to Parliament House would go ahead regardless.
• Approximately 6000 people attended the protest last night. As officers attempted to disperse the crowd, violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators.
• Police arrested 27 people, including 10 for allegedly assaulting police. No serious injuries were reported.
• In a late-night press conference, Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said he was “disappointed” in protest organisers for “inciting” the crowd to break the law by marching in the CBD, while defending the police response as “justified”.
• Palestine Action Group is planning a protest against police brutality to be held in Sydney this afternoon.

Returning to the press conference from NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna late on Monday night, who reiterated that officers weren’t “looking for fights” as violent clashes with Town Hall demonstrators ensued.

Police made 27 arrests, including 10 for allegedly assaulting police, while capsicum spray was also deployed.

McKenna indicated “no problems” in publicly sharing the body worn footage captured by officers at the demonstration, as police continue to piece together the events that led to the violent clashes.

“It’s way too early for me to have seen any body worn video at this stage, and if things need to come out for the right reasons, we’ve got no problems in sharing,” McKenna said.

“There are no secrets around any of this sort of stuff. The police went out there today to try and keep the community safe. Police didn’t go out there looking for fights, the police didn’t go out there looking for violence, but that happened tonight.”

McKenna also said he was “disappointed” in protest organisers for “inciting” the crowd to break the law by marching in the CBD, while defending the police response as “justified”.

Greens MP Sue Higginson has labelled the Town Hall incident an attack on democracy, claiming officers engaged in “serious police violence”.

“I saw young women being thrown against the wall, Aboriginal people detained and tear gas used indiscriminately,” she said.

“The police were clearly emboldened to be violent. There is a lot of footage of dreadful police violence.”

In a statement, Higginson said she would be referring the actions of police to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission “to make it clear that the orders to commit violence against the community were wildly inappropriate, and to demand accountability”.

She said the special powers granted to police were “excessive” and described the behaviour of officers as “thuggish”.

“There is no way to describe the actions by the NSW Police other than calling it for what it was - corporal punishment against a peaceful community,” Higginson said.

The Palestine Action Group has called on supporters to protest against the police after 27 protesters were arrested last night.

In a post to social media, the activist group accused police of brutality and encouraged followers to descend upon a Sydney police station this evening.

“Genocide is a crime, protest is not,” the group said.

“Be there tomorrow night to stand up against [NSW Premier Chris] Minns’ disgusting police state, to demand all charges against protesters be dropped, and to demand accountability and charges be laid against violent police.”

In a late-night press conference yesterday, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna defended the actions of police towards demonstrators as “justified”.

“I absolutely think the police actions were justified tonight,” McKenna said.

He said officers were being “threatened, jostled and assaulted” by protesters.

“We had to enact powers to move that crowd on and direct them out of the CBD,” McKenna said.

It led to “a number of melees, rolling fights at times, and violent behaviour from members of that crowd”, he said.

“Lots of people did, in fact, leave. Those who didn’t leave, if they got caught up in something, well, they made their choice.”

Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for allegedly assaulting police. Paramedics treated a number of people after capsicum spray was used, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

Read the full story here.

Good morning and welcome to our continued live coverage of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney.

Here’s what you need to know this morning:

• Herzog arrived in Sydney on Monday as part of a visit arranged after the Bondi Beach massacre that killed 15 people and injured dozens more, mostly Jewish, on the first night of Hanukkah in December.
• The NSW Supreme Court on Monday rejected an urgent legal challenge to sweeping powers granted to police for Herzog’s visit to Australia.
• Palestine Action Group (PAG) spokesman Josh Lees said a protest at Town Hall and planned march to Parliament House would go ahead regardless.
• Approximately 6000 people attended the protest last night. As officers attempted to disperse the crowd, violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators.
• Police arrested 27 people, including 10 for allegedly assaulting police. No serious injuries were reported.
• In a late-night press conference, Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said he was “disappointed” in protest organisers for “inciting” the crowd to break the law by marching in the CBD, while defending the police response as “justified”.
• Palestine Action Group is planning a protest against police brutality to be held in Sydney this afternoon.