Australia PM urges activists to ‘turn the heat down’ after US Consulate vandalized over Gaza war

CCTV footage showed a person wearing a dark hoodie using a small sledgehammer to smash nine holes in the reinforced glass windows of the building in North Sydney after 3 a.m., a police statement said.

Pro-Palestinian symbols are spray-painted on the U.S. consulate in Sydney, Australia June 10, 2024. AAP/Stephanie Moring/via REUTERS/Fotoware

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged activists on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian debate to “turn the heat down” after the US Consulate in Sydney was vandalized on Monday.

CCTV footage showed a person wearing a dark hoodie using a small sledgehammer to smash nine holes in the reinforced glass windows of the building in North Sydney after 3 a.m., a police statement said.

Two inverted red triangles, seen by many as a symbol of Palestinian resistance, were also painted on the front of the building.

Story continues below this ad

Albanese urged people to have “respectful political debate and discourse. “People are traumatized by what is going on in the Middle East, particularly those with relatives in either Israel or in the Palestinian Occupied Territories,” Albanese told reporters.

“And I just say, again, reiterate my call to turn the heat down and 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,” Albanese added.

The consulate was closed on Monday because of a public holiday in New South Wales state but would reopen on Tuesday, a consulate statement said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said an overwhelming majority of Australians did not approve of such vandalism.

Story continues below this ad

“We can make our point in this country without resorting to violence or malicious behavior,” Minns said.

The consulate was sprayed with graffiti in April, including the words “Freee (sic) Gaza.” The US Consulate in Melbourne was vandalized by pro-Palestinian activists on May 31.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

The police said the trio from Chandigarh — Rohan (21), Sumit (22), and Mohit (19) — were dhol players by profession and had procured the weapons due to an old rivalry with local residents.

Suspecting affair, Odisha lecturer assaults wife and her friend, parades them on street

India3 hr ago

A lecturer of Commerce and his associate were arrested for assaulting his wife, garlanding her with slippers and parading her on the road with her male friend. The woman, who has been living separately from her husband, was assaulted and humiliated in public. The incident was recorded and shared on social media. Police have seized evidence and are investigating the matter.

View all shorts

Live Blog