Message of peace following city centre protests

Mohamed Abu Muganzi has called for the community to celebrate its differences

The director of a Plymouth mosque has praised the city's "resilient community" in the wake of violent protests this week.

Two groups of protesters clashed on Royal Parade and outside the Guildhall on Monday evening in the latest in a series of incidents across the UK.

Piety Mosque also shared CCTV footage of a man smashing one of its glass doors in the early hours of 30 July, after three girls were killed in Southport the day before.

Devon and Cornwall Police said it was investigating a report of criminal damage at the mosque.

Devon and Cornwall Police said it was aware of the incident at the mosque

Centre director Mohamed Abu Muganzi said "those who seek to divide us will never win".

He thanked police for their support during the protest and said officers, neighbours and young people created a line of defence around the mosque.

"Before the event of Monday, where we had demonstrations in Plymouth, unfortunately we had someone who came in... and they smashed this door.

"He looked around, he threw a very big piece of metal through the door, he was not satisfied with the amount of breakages.

"He came and smashed it and made sure all the glass was smashed and the door was broken.

"It makes you feel threatened."

'Resolve differences'

Mr Muganzi said some worshippers feared leaving their houses but the mosque was encouraging them to work with police and not "succumb" to fear.

He said he believed it was "just a few isolated people" with problems and he was "happy to invite them" to the mosque.

"I need to sit down with them to find out exactly what is causing that problem because I think we can resolve those differences if they are genuine," he said.

He also thanked people who donated money to repair the damage to the mosque door, including one lady who donated £200.

"That gives me courage," he added.

'Under constant review'

Devon and Cornwall Police said it was monitoring the potential for further violence or disorder across the counties.

It said its intelligence teams were working "around the clock" to assess the credibility of any reports it received.

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew said: "At this time, we have not received any intelligence which suggests a repeat of what we saw in Plymouth on Monday, however, please be reassured that we are keeping this under constant review."