A court has heard two masked men burnt a pub’s Union Flags while shouting “Allahu Akbar”. Three men are charged with racially aggravated criminal damage and are standing trial at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court.

Zaid Sami, 21, and Nour Sami, 20, both from Feltham, and Omar Sukkar, 21 and from Isleworth, are on trial but deny the charges. The men allegedly tore down flags outside The Fox Pub in Twickenham on October 23, 2023.

Prosecutor Mark Mullins told the court: “This case is about the ripping down and burning of two Union Flags, which the prosecution asserts is an attack on the British people and their way of life and is therefore racially aggravated.

“Just after 6pm in the evening, four young men ripped down two Union Jacks from The Fox public house and set fire to them. While they were burning the flags, they were heard shouting: ‘Allahu Akbar’; ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Stop bombing children’.”

CCTV footage reportedly showed Sukkar climbing a noticeboard to remove a flag, while Sami removed another. This damaged the poles and fixings.

Mr Mullins said that a speech given by then-Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was a motivating factor in the attack. He said: “Sunak gave a speech on October 19 that Israel had a right to defend itself and on October 23 he made a similar speech to the House of Commons.

Pub landlord Paul Brace said that the flags were a source of pride, adding: “I had two Union Jack flags on poles. It is a very British street and we also have flags up during the rugby, the Six Nations via the Church Street Association.

“I felt it brightened the street up to have the national flags, even when there isn’t an event on. It is a symbol of our country, what we stand for, our values and is a recognisable symbol around the world, very distinctive.”

He followed the men after they pulled the flags down, trying to set them on fire. Brace said that he smelt plastic burning and the men shouting “Allahu Akbar”, meaning ‘God is the greatest’.

The trial continues.