Heightened tensions have surfaced in Sydney tonight as hundreds gathered to call for accountability from law enforcement over alleged excessive force during a protest at Town Hall the previous day.

The clashes resulted in 27 arrests, with nine individuals facing charges and five requiring hospitalization. The protest, attended by approximately 30,000 people, opposed the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns defended the law enforcement’s actions, describing them as “proportionate,” while Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon commended his officers for their “remarkable restraint.”

Elsewhere in Sydney this evening, Herzog, alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, participated in a service at the Chabad of Bondi.

During the gathering, Herzog addressed the Jewish community, honoring the 15 victims of the December 14 terrorist attack in Bondi.

“Their absence has left a profound void in the hearts of the Jewish people,” Herzog remarked.

“I see it in your faces, I hear it in the trembling voices. This is the home of a community in bereavement and mourning.

“My wife Michal and I have come here from Jerusalem on behalf of your sisters and brothers in Israel and across the Jewish world to mourn with you, to weep with you, to stand with you, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart.”

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