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, Reuters reports.

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 3am 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 U.S. Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is of course a crime to damage property,” he added.

“CCTV has been sourced that shows a person wearing a dark coloured hoodie with their face obscured carrying what appears to be a small sledgehammer,” a police spokesperson told Reuters by phone.

A spokesperson for the US consulate confirmed the building had been damaged but said staff and operations were unaffected. “Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police are investigating the incident,” the spokesperson said in a statement.