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 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 [sic] Gaza” on the building, the Herald reported. Pro-Palestinian activists also targeted the 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.

“Measures such as painting the U.S. consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is, of course, a crime to damage property,” he said.

The incident in Sydney was the second attack on a U.S. diplomatic post this month, with a gunman opening fire outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on June 5, Axios reported. The motive for the shooting is unknown, but Lebanese media has published what appear to be photos of the attacker wearing an Islamic State vest, according to the Associated Press.

Pro-Palestinian students in Australia have set up encampments, similar to those in the United States, according to the AP. Australian pro-Palestinian protestors have also attempted to blockade a port in Sydney to block ships headed to Israel, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, a tactic also employed by American activists.

The State Department, which administers the United States’ embassies and consulates, did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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