Idris Elba is calling on the British government to immediately ban machetes and “zombie” knives, among other initiatives, to tackle the nation’s youth knife violence problem.
On Monday (January 8), the actor outlined his mission and also released a new song “with an important message” as part of his campaign called Don’t Stop Your Future.
“I can’t stay silent as more young lives are lost to these brutal and heartless crimes,” Elba explained, per The Guardian. “As school returns, too many young people will not be joining their classmates and too many grieving families have lost a young person they love in recent years. Young people are our future, their potential deserves to be met, not taken away by violence.”
Idris Elba united with families who’ve lost loved ones to knife crimes to create an installation featuring victims’ clothing outside London’s Parliament Square.
In a video posted on his Instagram Story, Elba explained his intention to put the issue “right under the noses” of politicians as they arrived for work Monday.
While the British government announced last August that tougher measures targeting machetes and zombie-style knives would be introduced, with a ban on some knives, the legislation has not yet passed.
“Parliament has repeatedly not given this issue the focus it deserves,” Elba continued. “Our political leaders need to prioritise it now. As well as an immediate ban on zombie knives and machetes, we need to give young people more of a reason not to carry a weapon in the first place. That means investing in the services that address the root causes of violent crime.”
Alongside the immediate ban, Idris Elba called for more desperately needed funding for youth services. He’s also urging the government to create a cross-party coalition to end knife crime.
"Lets take the vigour of the turn from 2023 to 2024, and apply it to eradicating knife crime."
Actor @IdrisElba tells @AmolRajan why he is leading a campaign which will see families lay out clothes representing knife crime victims outside Parliament today.#R4Today
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) January 8, 2024