MELBOURNE – President Isaac Herzog on Thursday delivered a pointed message to the anti-Israel protesters who have dogged his visit to Australia: Protest against Iran, not Israel and the Australian Jews who support it.
Addressing some 4,000 people at a large communal event on the last day of his solidarity visit, he said it was “obscure and odd” that heavy police protection was needed to ensure Jews could gather peacefully with the president of Israel, following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December.
“To all those protesters outside, go protest in front of the Iranian embassy,” Herzog said, adding that Iran operates an “empire of evil” responsible for mass bloodshed. Israel was “literally protecting the free world and its values” by combating that threat, he added.
Herzog’s remarks came against the backdrop of ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations that have accompanied his four-day visit to Australia.
Herzog calls for Australian Jews to be proud Zionists
Thousands of police protected Herzog and his entourage as anti-Israel activists called for a mass protest in Melbourne, similar to what took place in Sydney on Monday.
A planned visit by Herzog to the Adass Israel Synagogue, which was the target of an antisemitic arson attack, was canceled because of security concerns.
Herzog said he was leaving Australia strengthened by what he called the “unbreakable” spirit of its Jews.
He urged Australian Jews to wear their Jewish identity and Zionism proudly and “not be afraid to show who you are.”
The struggle against antisemitism is a fight not only for Jewish identity but also for “the identity of Australia and the free world,” Herzog said.