To appease Herzog, Sydney has sacrificed hard won protest rights

I was a speaker at the Palestine Action Group rally in Sydney earlier this month, when abhorrent scenes unfolded as people protested the Australian Government rolling out the red carpet to the Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Words cannot capture the outrage and indignity Palestinians have endured, and inviting a leader accused of inciting the genocide of Palestinians only deepens our wounds.

Palestinians have been operating in a constant state of grief over Israel’s genocide, and in a constant state of mourning throughout the 78 years of Nakba. Instead of investigating Herzog and arresting him for potential complicity in serious human abuses, the government embraced him with open arms.  
 
Both Amnesty International and the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry have flagged that Herzog’s previous statements amount to direct and public incitement to genocide, including declaring that “an entire nation is responsible... [and] there are no uninvolved civilians.” 
 
This is a president who has signed artillery shells inscribed ‘I rely on you’, shells subsequently fired into Gaza.

This is a president who, in December 2023, visited the Nahal Oz military base to encourage troops just two days before the wanton destruction of the Palestinian town of Khuza’a. 
 
This is a president who, in August 2025, denied the existence of the very famine his state engineered in Gaza, impacting two million Palestinians. 
 
It is undeniable that Israel has unleashed hell and destruction on Palestinians in the Strip, committing genocide openly, deliberately and brazenly with full impunity. And despite the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, neither have been brought to The Hague.

No one should be treated as above the law. No president, and no prime minister.

Former Australian Human Rights Commissioner and member of the UN Commission of Inquiry, Chris Sidoti, argued that Herzog should be arrested on arrival for the alleged crime of incitement to genocide. He added that diplomatic immunity does not apply to him, because of the gravity of the crimes in which he may well be complicit.

Which is why tens of thousands of Australians took to the streets of major cities nationwide, to demand those responsible be held to account and brought to trial for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Australian public protested for humanity, and for cycles of impunity to come to an end.

Indeed, the ongoing protests and rallies against Israel’s genocide are part of a greater global movement of people who stand on the side of humanity. They are made up of masses that exercise their fundamental civil and political rights peacefully and lawfully.

Sadly, it was on this day that Australians deemed it urgent enough to protest against Herzog’s visit, that our internationally protected and fundamental right to protest was denied and harmed.

It was on this day that the New South Wales (NSW) government punished those protesting a genocide, rather than those responsible for it. 
 
Following the Bondi terror attacks, the NSW Government began systematically rolling out bans against protests in Sydney’s CBD with 14-day prohibitions issued through new expansion of executive and law enforcement powers. In the lead up to Herzog’s visit, the NSW Government invoked a Major Events Declaration, granting NSW Police sweeping powers to stop, search and fine people up to $5,500.

To be clear, the right to peaceful protest is enshrined in the very core of international human rights law. Australia has had a long and proud history of anti-war protests, including social movements opposing the Vietnam war, against nuclear weapon proliferation and the Iraq war.  
 
Under international human rights standards, restrictions on protests can only be imposed if they are lawful, pursue a legitimate aim, and are necessary and proportionate. Blanket bans on demonstrations simply for their political message or location are unlawful and discriminatory. 

 
During the speeches at the rally in Sydney, NSW Police surrounded all four corners of the square, effectively boxing in the crowd in. Thousands of attendees had no way to exit. Shortly after, state-sanctioned violence erupted at the hands of those who are entrusted with keeping the community safe.

Appalling scenes unfolded as police officers repeatedly punched protestors who were already on the ground and unable to move, sometimes up to18 times. First Nations Peoples and the elderly were violently attacked and pepper sprayed.

Amnesty supporters, including teenage children, were choked and punched. Members of the NSW Parliament also sustained injuries.

Horrifically, the police forcibly disrupted Muslims performing Maghrib Prayer. They used physical force against worshippers, grabbed Muslims off the ground, mid prayer, and dragged them away and threw some to the ground. What could be more non-violent than people in worship? What happened to freedom of religion?

To shield a president who has incited the commission of genocide, the NSW government has used violent tactics normally exhibited by authoritarian states. 
 
The NSW government response also raises critical concerns regarding the rule of law, international justice and accountability. Our human rights are under attack. Our authorities have already physically and violently attempted to silence and stifle us. But we will not remain silent.

Herzog's visit is an affront to all Australians who believe in human rights, peace and justice. We will not stand silent in the face of injustice because justice for Palestinians cannot wait.

It should be the Israeli President who suffers the indignity of facing investigation for inciting and commissioning genocide, rather than Palestinians and Australians suffering the indignity of his visit. 

Mohamed Duar is Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson and Deputy Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation. He holds a Master of Human Rights from the University of Sydney.

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.