A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters tried to force their way into the Israeli consulate in Sydney today and burned makeshift Israeli and US flags during a protest against Israel's West Bank military offensive.
Mounted police drove the group of about 30 angry protesters back after they tried to charge the entrance of an office building housing the Israeli consulate-general in central Sydney.
Two police officers received minor injuries when they were hit by projectiles thrown by protesters during the confrontation, a police spokeswoman told Reuters. No arrests were made and the crowd had dispersed, she said.
The group of protesters, some wielding pieces of wood, broke away from a larger demonstration of more than 2,000 people as they marched peacefully through the city streets demanding that Israeli troops be withdrawn from the West Bank.
Fireworks were let off, makeshift Israeli flags were burned and rocks were thrown before police on horseback responded with batons. The confrontation dissolved quickly, police said.