US Consulate in Sydney Vandalized with Pro-Palestine Graffiti
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US Consulate in North Sydney was targeted in a sledgehammer attack and defaced with red spray paint early Monday morning.
Police responded to the scene on Miller Street around 3 am, finding the building's glass window panels shattered and marked with graffiti, according to 9news.
Photographs show multiple holes in the front windows and inverted triangles sprayed in red, a symbol occasionally associated with pro-Palestine activists.
CCTV footage reveals a person in a dark-colored hoodie with their face obscured, wielding what appears to be a small sledgehammer, police reported.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the incident in a press conference, calling for more "respectful political debate and discourse."
"It's not the Australian way. We should be able to have views - including on issues which are difficult," Albanese stated.
He emphasized the complexity of the Middle East situation and urged activists to "turn the heat down."
"Measures such as painting the US Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is, of course, a crime to damage property," he added.
NSW Premier Chris Minns condemned the act as a "reprehensible" crime.
"I don't think it's the kind of public debate the overwhelming majority of Australians want," Minns said.
"It's a kind of coarsening of the public debate that no one needs in Australia. We can make a point in this country without this sort of violent and malicious behavior."
Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant information.