US Consulate Attacked With Sledgehammer, Spray-Painted With Pro-Hamas Symbol
Pro-Palestinian vandals attacked the U.S. Consulate in Sydney, Australia, during the early hours of Monday morning and marked the building with a symbol used by the armed wing of Hamas, according to The Sydney Morning…
Pro-Palestinian vandals attacked the U.S. Consulate in Sydney, Australia, during the early hours of Monday morning and marked the building with a symbol used by the armed wing of Hamas, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
An individual wearing a dark hoodie and wielding a sledgehammer attempted to break the windows of the U.S. Consulate at 3 a.m. local time on Monday, making a series of small holes in the process, the Herald reported. Vandals also spray painted upside-down red triangles on the front of the consulate, a symbol that rose in popularity among pro-Palestinian activists after Hamas posted videos using the symbol to point out Israeli military targets, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Hamas edits the inverted red triangle to appear above Israeli targets, like soldiers or tanks, in its videos, according to MEMRI.
Vandals previously targeted the U.S. consulate in Sydney in April, spraying “Freee Gaza” on the building, the Herald reported. Pro-Palestinian activists also targeted U.S. Consulate in Melbourne in May, smashing windows and spray painting “glory to the martyrs” on the building, according to the Shepperton News.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a member of the left-of-center Labor Party, condemned the vandalism, calling for a return to “respectful political debate and discourse,” according to Axios.