On Monday night thousands of people descended on Sydney Town Hall to protest the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The appropriateness of the response of NSW Police has become the subject of fierce debate.
Violence: Mobile phone video of clashes between police and protestors has gone viral. It includes footage of police disrupting a group of Muslim men kneeling in prayer, some of whom are dragged away.
A police officer is seen throwing a total of 18 punches at a man’s head and kidney region. The 28-year-old man has since been charged with allegedly biting a police officer during the scuffle.
Greens MP Abigail Boyd says she was punched in the head by police.
Charges: Following the protest, 27 people were arrested in Sydney. Nine were subsequently charged. The charge sheets include assaulting a police officer and behaving in an offensive manner.
The Premier: NSW Premier Chris Minns defended the actions of police on Tuesday, telling reporters authorities had been "put in an impossible situation last night".
When asked about the video of police using force against those praying, he asked the public "not to look at a 10-second clip without the full context".
The Mayor: Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement that Monday night’s “incredibly shocking and distressing” scenes “did not look like Sydney at all”. Calling the footage of “the men being dragged away in evening prayer, and protestors beaten while already subdued, particularly alarming.”
Moore has called for an independent investigation into the police response, and an urgent review of policing at protests.
The Prime Minister: When asked on breakfast radio, Anthony Albanese said he was devastated by the scenes on Monday night, telling Triple M Hobart:
“People should be able to express their views peacefully. But the police were very clear about the routes that were required if people wanted to march, to go a particular route, and to ensure that this was done peacefully. But the causes are not advanced by these sort of scenes. Indeed, they're undermined.”
Albanese defended the invitation to Herzog, after being called on by Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown to condemn the overnight violence.
“We need to turn the temperature down in this country,” the PM told parliament.
Tuesday Night: Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills, where demonstrations occurred without any major incidents.
At about 7pm, an 18-year-old man was dragged away and arrested after allegedly continuously shining a torch in the face of police officers.
On his visit to Australia, Herzog has met with the families of the victims of the Bondi terror attack.