Officers were called to reports of a group trying to remove and set fire to the flags in Church Street, Twickenham, at around 6pm on Monday night.

"It's alleged they had made remarks about the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza," a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage and inciting racial hatred, the force confirmed.

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In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, a local Liberal Democrat councillor, James Chard, praised the police for "responding robustly" to the incident.

"Church Street traders have a grand tradition of flying many flags, including for Twickenham's guests in rugby internationals, Ukraine and others," he wrote.