By Renju Jose
SYDNEY, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Australian leaders on Tuesday urged calm and called on protests to remain peaceful after clashes between police and demonstrators opposing Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia erupted in Sydney.
Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for allegedly assaulting officers, after violence broke out on Monday evening when people failed to leave a planned protest site in central Sydney and police moved to clear access for pedestrians.
There were no reports of serious injuries, New South Wales state police said in a statement.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was "devastated" by the violence and urged protesters to express their views peacefully.
"Australians want two things. They don't want conflict brought here. They want killing to stop, whether it's Israelis or Palestinians, but they do not want conflict brought here," Albanese told radio station Triple M.
"The causes are not advanced by these sorts of scenes - they are undermined."
Thousands gathered in central Sydney on Monday to protest against Herzog's visit to Australia, which comes after a mass shooting at a Jewish religious event at Bondi Beach in December that killed 15 people.
Police had been authorised to use rarely invoked powers during the protest, including directing crowds to move, restricting their entry to certain areas and searching vehicles. A legal challenge to those restrictions was dismissed by a Sydney court on Monday. Herzog was not present at the protest site.
Television footage showed some protesters trying to push through blockades as officers forced them back. Some were seen lying on the ground while police tried to restrain them.
Police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns defended police actions, saying officers were required to make rapid decisions in tense and volatile situations, and urged calm.
"The circumstances are difficult for the police, who are trying to keep the public and public safe," Minns told the ABC.
In a statement, the Palestine Action Group Sydney said protesters were unable to leave the event because they were surrounded by police on all sides.
"The police began charging the crowd with horses, indiscriminately pepper spraying the crowd, punching and arresting people," the group said.
Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said police actions were justified and that they showed restraint.
"It was really quite precarious at times for our officers who were significantly outnumbered by the protesters and the people who wanted to act in a violent and offensive manner," McKenna said.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Lincoln Feast.)
