Councillor Martin Rooney said he disagreed with protestors targeting shops because of Jewish links, calling it an “overtly racist act”.

That came after a demonstration outside Marks and Spencer at St James' Retail park - the first of a number of peaceful protests in Dumbarton.

Protestors took to the streets to show support for those affected by the war in Gaza, also asking for a boycott of Israeli produce.

Councillor Rooney also suggested demonstrators should “leave shoppers and staff” in the area alone, targeting political offices for staged protests.

That led to a strong reaction from Councillor Jim Bollan. He described the comments as “disgraceful” and “uneducated”, before calling on Councillor Rooney to withdraw the remarks and apologise immediately.

Councillor Bollan told the Reporter: “The council leader’s view that 120 local people were involved in a “racist act” by peacefully and legally demonstrating is deeply offensive and an outrageous slur on the character of all the citizens involved who attended to show their compassion and solidarity with the Palestinian people who continue to be under siege.

“Councillor Rooney needs to make a full unequivocal public apology for his unforgivable, scandalous, and divisive comments which should also be withdrawn immediately.” Councillor Rooney did not respond to the Reporter’s attempts to contact him.

Meanwhile, protests to show solidarity for those affected by the war in Gaza have been held globally since fighting erupted in June. The Gaza Strip, sandwiched between Israel and Egypt, has been a recurring flashpoint in conflict between Israel and Palestine for several years.

The latest tensions in June came about after the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers, with Israel blaming Palestine militant, Hamas, for the killings, leading to a crackdown on the group in the West Bank. However, Hamas denied being behind the killings.

Many of the reported images from the war zone have shown children killed in the atrocities.

Almost 200 Israelis and almost 3,000 Palestinians are reported to have been killed Last month, Provost Douglas McAllister took the decision to raise the Palestinian flag above Dumbarton Municipal Buildings – a move the local authority say was a display of “solidarity” for victims there.

That led to other local authorities following suit, with Glasgow City Council (GCC) and Fife Council raising the same flag in support Edinburgh City Council have since announced they are to fly the flag.

However, some critics – including Interfaith Scotland – have eluded to an element of hypocrisy in the decision made by local authorities, saying both the Palestinian and Israeli flags should be flown to show “true solidarity”.