Protests expected on Israeli President Herzog's last day in Australia

By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Pro-Palestine protesters will rally 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 at a 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.

"Our message to all Australians is simple: the time to march is now. For all the Palestinians who have been killed, for all those still alive but starving," said Jasmine Duff, a co-convener of Students for Palestine, a group planning to protest outside one of Melbourne's main railway stations on Thursday evening.

Graffiti that appeared on a Melbourne University campus on Thursday calling for the death of Herzog has been referred to the police, the university said.

There is no indication the graffiti was connected to the planned protests.

PRESIDENT SAYS AUSTRALIA ANTISEMITISM FRIGHTENING

Herzog, who has also visited Sydney and Canberra on the four-day trip, said on Thursday there was "frightening" antisemitism in Australia.

"There is antisemitism. It is frightening and worrying, but there’s also a silent majority of Australians who seek peace, who respect the Jewish community, and of course, want a dialogue with Israel," he said in an interview with television network Channel Seven.

The accusation Herzog was involved in genocide in Gaza - a common claim by protesters - was a "lie", he added.

Police and protesters clashed in Sydney on Monday evening, with 27 arrested after demonstrations against Herzog's visit turned violent.

Both sides accused each other of assault, with police eventually using tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd in the city's central business district.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)