Police braced for TikTok school wars' spreading across London

"Posts have multiplied calling on youngsters to be violent and arm themselves with compasses, metal combs, scissors, rulers and weapons including kitchen knives and fireworks. Posters inspired by notorious Los Angeles street gangs the Bloods and Crips feature men in red and blue balaclavas. Circulating on Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, they list Year 7 to 11 schools which fall under each side."

"The Metropolitan Police has advised us to write to you about a series of events being advertised on social media targeting students attending schools in Croydon and Bromley. The events being referred to as 'Croydon or Bromley War' present a very serious risk to student safety and we strongly advise students not to attend. The messages incite violence and are suggesting there will be 'school wars' between students from different local schools."

"Pupils are told to film attacks over a week of mass brawl rounds from Friday, February 27 to March 6. Boroughs of Hackney, Islington, Camden, Redbridge, Newham, Harrow, Ealing, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets and this week Croydon, Bromley and Greenwich are pitted against each other in Red vs Blue teams."

The Metropolitan Police are responding to a coordinated social media campaign encouraging London schoolchildren aged 11-16 to engage in organized violence. Posts on Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram organize students into rival Red and Blue teams modeled after Los Angeles gangs, assigning schools across multiple boroughs including Hackney, Islington, Croydon, and Greenwich. Children are encouraged to arm themselves with weapons ranging from compasses and scissors to kitchen knives and fireworks. Scheduled mass brawls are planned for late February through early March, with participants instructed to film attacks. Schools have issued urgent warnings to parents, and the Metropolitan Police are actively monitoring the situation following recent stabbings at Kingsbury High School.

Read at www.standard.co.uk