New South Wales police have pepper sprayed protesters at a Sydney rally opposing Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit, where hundreds of demonstrators attempted to march in defiance of a state law.

Thousands of people also protested in Melbourne against Herzog’s four-day visit which began on Monday, where some clashed with police. Victoria police appeared to use pepper spray on at least one protester.

Thousands gathered near Sydney’s Town Hall on Monday evening, where Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi and former Australian of the Year Grace Tame addressed the crowd. Three NSW Labor backbenchers defied the premier to attend the protest.

But more than an hour after the protest started, organisers and police held tense conversations, with demonstrators attempting to negotiate with officers and allow protesters to march, despite NSW laws passed in the wake of the Bondi terror attack preventing protesters from doing so.

Protesters began beating drums and yelling “let us march”. As protesters attempted to march, police pepper sprayed the crowd. People near the front ran back, coughing and spluttering, while those who were sprayed poured water over their eyes.

Thousands of protesters also gathered in Melbourne, where senator Lidia Thorpe addressed the crowd.

“As I said before, I stand against violence of all forms, particularly genocide. I stand in solidarity [with] the victims in Bondi,” she said. “But I also stand with my Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

Albanese invited Herzog after the 14 December antisemitic shooting, saying his visit was intended to foster a greater sense of unity.

Some have called for Herzog’s arrest after a finding by a UN commission, which does not speak on behalf of the UN, that Herzog, along with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and then defence minister, Yoav Gallant, “have incited the commission of genocide”.

Herzog has called the genocide case against Israel in the international court of justice a “form of blood libel” and pushed back on criticism of his 2023 statement that “it is an entire nation out there that is responsible” for the 7 October attacks on Israel.

Asked what his message was to protesters, Herzog said on Monday: “It is important for me to say that I’ve come here in goodwill.

“These demonstrations, in most cases, what you hear and see comes to undermine and delegitimise our right, my nation’s right, the nation which I am the head of state of, of its mere existence.”