Around 100 people attended a protest rally in Bathurst on Monday 9 February against the visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The Bathurst rally coincided with up to 30 other rallies and marches across NSW that opposed the president’s visit.

Most media attention has focussed on the large Sydney Town Hall rally and associated police violence linked to severe restrictions imposed on the right to protest by the Minns state government.

However, together with city rallies, regional rallies like the one in Bathurst have also played an important part in galvanising public opposition to Herzog’s visit. 

Public outrage

By the time Herzog landed in Sydney on Wednesday 8 February, his role as Israel’s head of state in inciting the commission of genocide in Gaza had become widely known. This is based on his claim that all Palestinians – “an entire nation” – were responsible for the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.¹

The Albanese government officially invited Isaac Herzog to Australia following the Hanukah massacre in Bondi on 14 December 2025.

In supporting the Israeli president’s visit, Prime Minister Albanese said “We need to build social cohesion in this country” and that the visit was intended to foster “a greater sense of unity”.

However, it is hard to imagine a single event at this particular juncture that was more likely to undermine ‘social cohesion’ than a visit by the Israeli president.²

Bathurst protest rally

The Bathurst rally included a speech by Kaat DeMaere, one of the event’s organisers, as well as the reciting of lyrics and a musical performance.

Kaat began her speech by saying that people sometimes ask why regional communities are speaking out about Gaza. The answer, she said, was simple:

“Distance from power does not mean distance from responsibility. We gather here today because there is something very wrong. Our government is asking us to accept the unacceptable, and to stay silent while genocide unfolds before our very eyes. We refuse.”

Kaat also noted:

“Jewish organisations in Australia, including the Jewish Council of Australia and Jews Against the Occupation 1948 – who have spoken at many of our events in Bathurst – have been clear: genocide, occupation and apartheid are not done in their name and they don’t believe that welcoming a leader who are responsible for these crimes creates peace or safety for anyone.”

As well, it was pointed out that:

“Gaza is not an imported issue. Through its complicity with the genocide, our own government has brought Gaza to us. Actions in regional towns matter in moments like these … When regional towns speak, it is not trend driven, it is values driven. Your solidarity here today is enormous.”³

The opening address was followed by two young rally participants reading out the locations of 30 similar rallies which were simultaneously taking place around NSW.

This was followed by Matt Williamson, a well known Bathurst-based artist and singer-songwriter, who recited the lyrics of one of his songs concerned with colonialism in Australia.

The event concluded with a performance by musicians Cate McCarthy and Mick Moffitt from the local band Fat Wombat which emphasised the need for “people getting on their feet and getting out and marching”.

Government failure

Israel is a rogue state whose head of state, its highest ranking representative, should not have been invited to Australia.

This invitation constitutes a failure of government responsibility regarding international law and ethical obligations. In particular, the Albanese government has turned its back on its commitments under the Genocide Convention and has failed to meaningfully respond to crimes committed by Israeli civilian authorities and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). This is particularly so given credible reports by the United Nations and numerous humanitarian organisations.

Recent nationwide protests around the country, including the Bathurst rally, have succeeded in highlighting this monumental failure and the need for the Albanese government to observe its commitments under international law in the face of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.⁴

Notes

1. Michael West, ‘Arrest Herzog for war crimes, says UN Commissioner Sidoti’, Michael West Media, Feb 4, 2026. Also refer to the UN press release for a summary of the report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, dated 16 September 2025, which found that “Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, have incited the commission of genocide.”

2. Bernard Keane, ‘Nothing says cohesion like a punch in the head: Violence of Minns’ goons exposes the lie of ‘social cohesion’’, Crikey, 10 February 2026.

3. A transcript of Kaat DeMaere’s speech can be read here.

4. One should not forget the Israeli drone attack on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza on 1 April 2024 which killed seven aid workers, including the Australian Zomi Frankcom. In relation to this atrocity, Prime Minister Albanese claims he has continued to press Israel for “full accountability including any appropriate criminal charges” when meeting with Isaac Herzog. However, given the lack of progress and transparency, Zomi’s brother,  Mal Frankcom, says that he and his family are “determined to pursue justice and accountability”, not only for Zomi, but for all seven victims of the Israeli targetted strike on 1 April.