Hundreds of Palestinian supporters from trade unions have clashed with police at a Sydney port during a protest against an Israeli shipping line.
Police said 23 people were arrested at the unauthorised rally at Port Botany on Tuesday night.
About 400 people waving flags and calling for a gathered near a boat ramp at Foreshore Road, which leads to the port.
Officers issued a group move-on direction but the protesters continued to block the street, disrupting traffic.
Pro-Palestine protesters have attempted to disrupt shipping operations in Sydney and Melbourne. Source: AAP / James Ross
The road was cleared about 9pm after some of the demonstrators were arrested and the remainder left.
Those detained were taken to several police stations and charged with failing to comply with move-on directions and disrupting a major facility.
Organisers say the demonstrators were there to protest the arrival of the container ship Calandra, operated by Israeli company ZIM.
It was the second rally at the port and followed a protest in Melbourne on 8 November targeting trucks carrying containers owned by the same firm.
Premier Chris Minns condemned protesters targeting trade and defended police, saying officers acted appropriately in the circumstances.
"You can't have a situation where NSW ports are being blocked," he told Sky News on Wednesday.
"This would have huge economic and reputational damage for our state, for our country.
"We've got a trading partner who's an ally of Australia, who's blocked from having commerce with our country. That's never been the case."
Minns said police had helped facilitate 73 in the past six weeks and said the government would defend the right for people to lawfully protest.
"There are rules, and those rules are around hate speech or blocking the roads, or in a situation where there's an incitement to violence or racial vilification," he said.
The gathering began peacefully but video aired by TV networks showed scuffles between police and some of the crowd later in the evening.
One of the demonstrators, who gave his name as Benjamin, told Nine News "things started getting a little bit rough".
"The cops started trying to move people by dragging them," he said.
"They mostly arrested the organisers up the front who were not giving any ground."
But Police Minister Yasmin Catley told ABC TV the officers involved "did a great job".
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said Australia has some issues with community cohesion at the moment. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
"We have got some issues with community cohesion at the moment ... Australia is not alone in facing what we are seeing, which is protests and people expressing really strong feelings about this issue," she told Nine's Today Show.
"What I know is that we can get through this because we get through a lot of hard things as a nation and we do it by wrapping our arms around each other and showing each other respect, empathy and tolerance."
A coalition of Palestinian unions and associations has called on workers worldwide to boycott Israel and businesses that support its regime.
The Port Botany protests have been organised by Palestine Justice Movement Sydney with the support of the Sydney branch of the Maritime Union of Australia.
