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Violent protests against the President of Israel Isaac Herzog – and, it has to be said, the violent response by authorities – have turned Sydney’s streets into an unedifying spectacle that both jeopardises the original intention of his visit and tarnishes our international image.
Amid a plethora of talking heads responding to the Town Hall violence, former prime minister Tony Abbott suggested police who punched protesters receive a commendation – and, in fact, be armed with tear gas and rubber bullets.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane wanted the four Labor MPs who demonstrated – Anthony D’Adam, Stephen Lawrence, Sarah Kaine and Cameron Murphy – to be sacked for “whipping up a frenzy”; another attendee, Greens MP Abigail Boyd, alleged she was manhandled by police; and Premier Chris Minns robustly defended the police response, urging the public not to judge their actions from social media videos that he conceded didn’t “look good”.
One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce and the Melbourne Liberal MP Tim Wilson called for Grace Tame to be stripped of her Australian of the Year award for speaking at the protest. Sydney independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender called for an investigation into allegations of police brutality, while Sydney’s Muslim community leaders likened the police response to the ICE crackdown in Minneapolis.
Given all that, and with Herzog’s visits to Canberra and Melbourne still to come, there is a risk this trip may become a political omnishambles, rather than the healing and diplomatic moment it was supposed to be – which would be a tragedy.
Albanese on Tuesday stood by his decision to invite Herzog.
“President Herzog is here in Australia to offer sympathy and solidarity to people who are mourning and offer his support to members of Australia’s Jewish community,” Albanese said.
“I will treat President Herzog with respect. I’ve known him for a long period of time. He is someone who you can have a respectful discussion with, whilst examining differences which are there.”
Given what occurred in Sydney on Monday and the strength of feeling in some sections of the community about Herzog, it’s worthwhile considering if a spiritual leader may have been more appropriate for a period of mourning, not a former politician.
Nearly three weeks ago, we stood shoulder to shoulder with Sydney’s Jewish community for a National Day of Mourning to reflect on the casualties from the awful Bondi Beach attack, to consider their lives and work, and pray that the right structures are put in place to prevent any repetition of this atrocity and share the common humanity that unites all Australians at a time of national tragedy.
Now, thanks to the actions of a small handful of protesters and protest laws that forced police into a violent impasse, we are back to where we were before Christmas – pondering how to take the heat out of an issue that never should have been fanned by the flaying around and indecision of politicians and federal and state agencies.
Yet if we look carefully beyond the roiling heap of insensitive, squabbling and point-scoring politicians, you will find the bereaved families of the victims of the terror attack and Sydney’s Jewish community, who deserve a lot better.
Tragically, the cacophony in the wider community can only remind bereaved families that the hatred they feared before December 14 remains clear and present. So much for social cohesion.
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