Police are urging children not to participate in organized school fights being promoted on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. The Metropolitan Police have requested that social media companies disable accounts promoting these “school wars,” while schools are warning parents about the concerning trend.
Posts Encourage Violence Between Schools
Posts advertising the fights have surfaced across London, including one promoting a “north London war” between pupils from years seven to eleven, dividing four schools into “red” and “blue” teams. Another post promoted a “Hackney war,” and included images of potential weapons such as knives, compasses, and fireworks.
Some posts have even suggested a points system based on the level of harm inflicted on opponents, explicitly urging participants to “be violent.”
Police Response and School Warnings
Commander Neerav Patel of the Metropolitan Police stated the force is aware of the posts and is in contact with London boroughs to provide reassurance. He confirmed that the police have requested the disabling of a dozen social media accounts that were planning or encouraging violence.
Patel warned young people about the serious consequences of involvement, stating that arrest and conviction for violence or carrying weapons could lead to imprisonment and negatively impact future opportunities.
Several London schools have sent letters to parents alerting them to the social media activity. Fortismere school in Haringey thanked parents who had approached them with concerns after checking their children’s phones. Graveney school in Tooting stated they would maintain security measures, including the possibility of searching students.
Skepticism and Government Response
Some pupils are skeptical about the authenticity of the posts, suggesting they may be hoaxes. One year 10 pupil quoted in the Metro stated that “people are just trying to fearmonger parents” and that “any teenager with common sense would not meet somewhere where the police have been told about and bring a weapon.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has raised the issue with colleagues, and reportedly wrote under one of the posts that the government would “come down on this sort of behaviour like a ton of bricks,” according to MailOnline.
A previous attempt to organize a school fight in Hackney prompted a police dispersal order.
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