Australian police have defended their actions after violent clashes with protesters in Sydney during a demonstration against a visit by the Israeli president, BBC reported. 

Officers showed "remarkable restraint", NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said, adding that they "did what they needed to do".

His comments came after police arrested 27 people at a rally in Sydney on Monday night. Earlier, rally organisers had failed in their court bid to overturn police powers that limited their right to demonstrate, according to BBC.