The borough’s top political and police leaders addressed 1,000 worshippers at Kingston Mosque in a show of solidarity after last week’s attack.

Masked men left an elderly congregation in fear of their lives when they tried to smash windows and threw beer and bacon at the building on Sunday, November 21.

The attack followed a march against Muslim extremism that took place in the town centre earlier in the day. However, police have not linked the two incidents.

Faith and civic leaders rallied around the mosque in the wake of the attack, which took place during Kingston’s interfaith week.

Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, Kingston and Surbiton MP Edward Davey and borough commander Martin Greenslade visited the mosque on Friday, November 26.

They spoke before the most important prayers of the week, and it was the first time the police had talked at the mosque from the pulpit.

Rizwan Khaliq, community relations officer at Kingston Muslim Association, said: “They were given a very privileged point to address the congregation just before the Friday prayers, and it went down very well.

“It was a great honour to go before the mosque, usually a privilege reserved for the imam.

“It was reassurance and thanking [the congregation] for their measured and mature response and the fact they did not respond like for like.

“I genuinely hope positive things can come out of this.

“I think a situation that was distressing has turned itself 360 degrees on its head and the community is grateful and feels very reassured and feels part of the dynamic of Kingston.”

Meanwhile, the organiser of the march from Hampton Wick station to the Bentall Centre has set up an organisation he says will fight all forms of extremism.

Former soldier Ben Baty, 20, said two of his friends were killed in Afghanistan and he organised the march in protest at Muslim extremists burning remembrance poppies.

His group England Against Extremism has attracted 150 followers on Facebook, and says it is against Islamaphobia as well as poppy burning, and plans to hold further demonstrations.