President Isaac Herzog said Thursday that antisemitism in Australia is “frightening” but that most people want good relations with the Jewish community. He was speaking on the final day of a visit that was met with multiple protests, and as graffiti calling for his death was scrawled at a university.

Herzog’s tightly policed four-day visit to Australia this week was meant to offer consolation to the country’s Jewish community following December’s mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in which terrorists killed 15 people.

But it faced anti-Israel demonstrations in major cities, including in Sydney, where police used pepper spray on protesters and members of the media during scuffles in the city’s central business district.

Ahead of a visit on Thursday to Melbourne, Herzog told Channel Seven’s Sunrise a “wave” of anti-Jewish hatred in Australia had culminated in the December 14 Bondi killings.

“It is frightening and worrying,” he said. “But there’s also a silent majority of Australians who seek peace, who respect the Jewish community, and of course, want a dialogue with Israel.”

The head of state said he had brought a “message of goodwill to the people of Australia.”

“I hope there will be a change. I hope things will relax,” he said.

Protesters against Herzog’s visit began turning out in force in Melbourne around 5 p.m. local time.

Ahead of the president’s arrival, graffiti calling for Herzog’s death was found on a building at Melbourne University, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The graffiti on the side of a building read “Death to Herzog ........

© The Times of Israel