Australian Official Calls on NSW Premier to Apologize to Muslim Community Over Protest Crackdown
Australian Official Calls on NSW Premier to Apologize to Muslim Community Over Protest Crackdown
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Aftab Malik, Australia’s special government envoy on combating Islamophobia, has called on New South Wales Premier Chris Minns to apologize to the Muslim community following a violent police crackdown on protesters in Sydney. The protests were held in response to the official visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Speaking to SBS News on Tuesday, Malik condemned the police actions, stating there was “no justification for officers to disperse worshippers, strike them, or push them to the ground while they were performing their religious rituals calmly and without posing any threat.” He emphasized that authorities must acknowledge the incident as “unjustified, unnecessary, and excessive.”
Malik warned that failure to recognize these violations could cause “irreparable damage” to relations between Muslims and the New South Wales Police.
On Monday, demonstrations against President Herzog’s visit took place in multiple Australian cities. The visit, which began Sunday, marked the first official trip by an Israeli president to Australia since 2020. The protests followed a December 2025 terrorist attack targeting a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, heightening tensions around the visit.
Australian authorities have faced criticism from civil society groups for their handling of the protests, with calls for accountability and dialogue with affected communities.
