Thirteen people have been arrested after an allegedly violent confrontation between New South Wales police and protesters outside a state government-sponsored defence conference in Sydney.

Both police officers and protesters were allegedly injured at Palestine Action Group’s demonstration on Tuesday outside the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Darling Harbour, amid criticism that Israel’s largest weapons companies were attending the event.

Police said they were creating an exclusion area when they were “set upon” by protesters, prompting police to use measures including pepper spray to drive demonstrators back to a cordoned off area. Sydney city area police commander, Supt Paul Dunstan, said two officers were injured d

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