I was in Southbank, Melbourne, when Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the city as part of his state visit to pay respect to members of the Jewish community and honour the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

Of course, the usual anti-Israel mob, that regularly takes over Melbourne’s CBD were there too. They had been amping up their protest communications after wild scenes in Sydney dominated the news cycle earlier in the week.

Some proud Israeli supporters also turned out, outnumbered but determined to make their voices heard. A heavy police presence kept the two sides apart, with Victoria Police forming lines and monitoring the situation closely.

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One counter-protester, proudly flying both the Australian and Israeli flags, questioned the purpose of the rally. “Do you think Herzog is going to listen to a live feed of what they’re saying and influence the effects in Gaza?” he asked. “This is just bullshit, a waste of time.”

When the anti-Israel protesters noticed I was on the scene, they suddenly dropped their Herzog chants completely in favour of trying their best to get my attention. They repeatedly chanted my name, attempting to revive long-debunked allegations about my personal life. I couldn’t help but point out the irony. “I single-handedly made the Herzog protest disappear.” I laughed. “It is now about Avi Yemini.”

Read the full story in Avi's book A Rebel From The Start

Protesters hurled weak insults and accusations, some hiding behind masks despite confusion over new laws restricting face coverings at demonstrations. The activists claimed to stand for women’s rights and human rights broadly, yet ignored questions about atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 and the treatment of women under the Iranian regime. One counter-protester challenged them directly: “Human is human and people are people… why are you silent?”

President Herzog ultimately proceeded with most of his engagements, with the only event called off for security reasons was a planned visit to the Adass Israel Synagogue that had previously been firebombed.