#IdrisElba calls for action to curb youth violence in the UK
There’s a lot of talk about this campaign – some of it unkind – but that doesn’t matter. Look at the message and make your decision about it.
Idris Elba is using his platform to spotlight the pressing problem of youth violence in the UK. He is urging the government to act swiftly by banning zombie knives and machetes and investing in youth services.
In a symbolic display at Parliament Square, Idris Elba, accompanied by Yemi Hughes, mother of Andre Aderemi, who tragically lost his life to knife crime, showcases an installation of neatly folded outfits representing lives lost to violence. He emphasises the urgent need for politicians to prioritise this crisis and act decisively.
Idris Elba’s campaign aims to shine a spotlight on the human cost of knife crime by displaying these poignant outfits in front of Parliament, honouring the lives lost and urging political leaders to take meaningful action. The actor emphasises the importance of seizing the opportunity of the New Year to drive change, profiling and supporting grassroots organisations that provide alternatives to crime.
Accompanying the installation are billboards across the UK featuring poignant words from Poojah Kanda, mother of Ronan Kanda, who fell victim to mistaken identity in 2022. The campaign seeks to convey the ongoing impact of serious youth violence on victims’ families.
As part of the initiative, Idris releases a powerful track titled ‘Knives Down’ to raise awareness and give a voice to those affected by knife crime. The video features a debate in the House of Commons, highlighting the stories of victims and worst-affected communities. The track calls on Parliament to urgently ban zombie knives and machetes, addressing the supply chains that bring them to UK streets.
The actor and activist stresses the need for both immediate action and long-term support. He calls on the government to invest in youth services, citing a 74% cut in funding since 2010/11 and the correlation between youth service cuts and increased youth violence.
We know a thing or two about that, don’t we?
To tackle the root causes of serious youth violence, Idris Elba calls for the formation of a Coalition to End Knife Crime, a cross-party, cross-governmental working group that includes relevant government departments, grassroots organisations, sporting bodies, young people, and technology companies. The goal is to improve collaboration and dialogue, addressing the underlying issues contributing to youth violence and ensuring a brighter future for young people across the UK.
It seems like a good idea to This Writer. How about you?
Source: Idris Elba’s Don’t Stop Your Future campaign | The Ben Kinsella Trust
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I worked with Idris briefly very early in his career. He is an intelligent, thoughtful, and thoroughly decent man. I live on an estate ravaged by gang crime and the murders of young people still at the beginning of their lives. This would be a massive political priority if the kids who were dying were white public schoolboys from Eton or Harrow. This would be the number one issue in the UK if it were relatives, friends and neighbours of MPs who were being killed.
It is not acceptable in a supposedly civilised nation that the lives of young, predominantly black, people are treated as entirely unimportant, as of no value, as something not to be concerned about. Entire communities are being traumatised by this and finding that those in authority will, when confronted, say nice things, but never take any concrete actions.
This is a failing of the entire education system which teaches majority of children to have no ambition beyond conformity and survival. This is a failing of local authorities that have taken to treating youth services as solely about dealing with a “youth problem”. It is a failing of the entire political system, and also wider society, that has adopted a position that young people are a problem to be solved and not, as they really are, the only hope for our future.
Idris Elba is absolutely right. As a society we are completely failing our young people.