Herzog visit as it happened: Protesters rally outside Sydney police station after nine charged following chaotic scenes in CBD; Police claim actions ‘justified’ as Minns defends response

This is where we leave our coverage on the second day of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit, after protesters gathered outside a Sydney police station on Tuesday evening following criticism of the conduct of officers at a demonstration on Monday.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Protesters gathered in Harmony Park next to Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills on Tuesday evening, following the heavily criticised response to a demonstration against Herzog’s visit outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday.
• The crowd dispersed about 8pm, after tensions threatened to boilover as protesters chanted anti-police phrases. Organisers told the group “don’t stick around” while some attendees formed a barrier between police and protesters.
• Police have charged nine of the 27 protesters arrested on Monday night, with more charges expected. One man charged with assaulting police was granted bail in court on Tuesday.
• Calls for an independent investigation into Monday’s police response have begun, while Premier Chris Minns and Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon have defended the actions of officers on the night.
• Herzog visited students at the Moriah War Memorial College in Queens Park this morning, flanked by a heavy police presence that included officers bearing long-arm weapons and a private security team. Students holding Australian and Israeli flags gave the president high-fives and handshakes during a visit lasting about two hours. Herzog and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended an event on Tuesday night to remember the lives lost in the Bondi massacre.
• A NSW Greens MP hospitalised after Monday’s protest angrily confronted the police commissioner at Parliament House this morning, alleging she was manhandled by officers at Town Hall. Abigail Boyd was in tears as the MP told Lanyon of injuries she suffered after being pushed by an officer, repeatedly telling the commissioner “it’s just not OK”.
• Former prime minister Tony Abbott has suggested police who punched protesters yesterday should receive a commendation, and officers at future demonstrations should be armed with tear gas and rubber bullets to safeguard against the “pro-terrorist protests we’ve seen too often”.

A police line has formed, separating protesters from the Sydney Police Centre, as organisers tell the crowd to disperse amid escalating tensions at Harmony Park.

Hundreds of protesters remain in place chanting anti-police phrases.

Rally organisers are trying to keep protesters and police separated and disperse the crowd.

One man has been apprehended by police after confronting the police line and yelling abuse at officers.

The man leading a group in prayer, before being disrupted by police officers outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday night, says the worshippers were “attacked”.

Sheikh Wesam Charkawi said he and several others, including women, were kneeling in prayer when police grabbed members of the group on Monday night.

Prayers took place without disruption in Harmony Park on Tuesday.

“We weren’t threatening in any way. We were engaged peacefully in the prayer,” he said.

Protesters have turned their attention to officers stationed outside a Sydney police station, chanting slogans including “cops bash women” and “shame”.

More than 100 officers are stationed around the perimeter of the park, including six mounted police. A dozen more line the entry of the nearby police station.

Tuesday’s protest came in response to arrests and violent clashes at a demonstration outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday night.

The crowd in Harmony Park, Surry Hills erupted into boos following comments from Palestine Action Group spokesman Josh Lees and Greens MP Sue Higginson about the police response, including details of a 69-year-old woman in hospital, a man punched in the head, and a woman interrupted during prayer sustaining knee injuries.