- Tens of thousands of Australian workers and youth protested across the country on February 9, 2026, against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit, denouncing the federal Labor government's complicity in the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, with many criticizing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's decision to invite Herzog.
- Protesters in Sydney faced hundreds of police, including riot squads, who were deployed to prevent demonstrators from marching, in line with anti-protest legislation passed by the New South Wales (NSW) Labor government, with protesters like Georgina and Joan condemning the laws as an attack on freedom of speech and the right to protest.
- Demonstrators, including a young worker and retired IT worker Karl, slammed Herzog's record on Palestine, with one protester stating that Herzog has "incited genocide against the Palestinians" and that the Australian government's invitation was "completely wrong" and a "line in the sand" for many opponents of Israel's actions in Gaza.
JUSTICE MATTERS
The World Socialist Web Site and PBS NewsHour demonstrate distinct framing differences in their coverage. The World Socialist Web Site uses phrases such as "genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza" and "war criminal," while PBS NewsHour's recent coverage focuses on a different topic, but if they were to cover the same story, they might use more neutral language, such as "conflict" or "protests." This disparity in word choice obscures the severity of the issue and the strong stance of the protesters, as noted by the World Socialist Web Site, which quotes a young worker saying "they're invoking extra police forces and extra laws, because they know that what they're doing is not good."
Cross-referenced with: PBS NewsHour
