Protests dog Israeli president's visit
Pro-Palestine protesters rallied in Melbourne on Thursday on the final day of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's trip to Australia, following protests in the capital Canberra and violent clashes between protesters and police in Sydney.
Herzog is visiting Australia this week following an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting aa Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach that killed 15.
The visit has attracted the ire of some people in Australia, who accuse Herzog of being complicit in civilian deaths in Gaza.
Protesters cite a United Nations Commission of Inquiry that last year concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Herzog incited these acts - accusations that Israel called scandalous.
In Melbourne's central business district, a large crowd gathered outside one of the city's main railway stations on Thursday evening.
Many protesters wore keffiyeh scarves and waved Palestinian flags.
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