Reuters :
Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese on Monday condemned vandalism of the US consulate in Sydney after the building was defaced in what local media said appeared to be a pro-Palestinian protest.
The building in the northern suburbs of Australia’s largest city was attacked and sprayed with paint by a person carrying a small sledgehammer at around 3 a.m. local time on Monday.
“I would just say that people should have respectful political debate and discourse,” Albanese said in a televised media conference from Canberra when asked about the incident.
“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.
Nine windows of the consulate were damaged and the building’s door was graffitied, police said.