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Dozens of Londoners who were horrified by a racist graffiti attack on Polish community centre have turned up at its doors with flowers and messages of support.

The Polish and Social Cultural Association (POSK) in Hammersmith was targeted by vandals who sprayed the words "Go Home" in yellow paint across the front of the centre.

The incident, on Sunday morning, came amid a spike in hate crimes reported since the EU referendum result was declared.

After news of the incident spread, neighbours arrived at the centre with armfuls of flowers and cards bearing messages of support.

POSK has also been inundated with messages and gifts sent by email and through the post from people all over the country who were appalled by the xenophobic attack.

Dozens of pupils and parents from nearby schools Brackenbury Primary and John Betts also turned up en masse to show solidarity, with handwritten cards from the children.

The moving messages received by staff at the centre included a child's card saying: "We love you, yeh Poland!"

While another read: "Dear Poles, I am so sorry to hear about what happened yesterday. We the Brits are grateful to you for fighting alongside us in the war and now for the enormous contribution you make to our society. We love you.”

Another well-wisher wrote: “Dear Polish friends, we wanted to let you know how very sorry we are to hear about the abusive messages graffitied on to your building.

"It’s depressing enough that the UK (or part of it) will be leaving the EU. That the result of the referendum seems to have been interpreted by some as a licence to express their racism and xenophobia is truly horrifying.”

While another supportive message read: "I have no words to describe it, it happened and how it grieves me very much. I love what he represents POSK and I wish you all a lot of strength and determination to survive these tough times."

Joanna Mludzinska from the POSK said the centre had received “around 200 emails, masses of flowers and cards” from across the UK.

She told the Independent: “People from all over the UK have emailed us to apologise on behalf of the person who has done this, and that’s what we’d expect from the British public really rather than anything else”.

A receptionist at the centre told Polish news site londynek.net: "People come all the time to tell us how they're sorry and how ashamed they are of those who behave in such a xenophobic way. They say that we like and appreciate you."

Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident and are treating it as a racially motivated crime.