There reportedly has been an increase of knifings in London as numerous people have been attacked in brutal stabbings, some even dying from their injuries. There have been few celebrities who have taken the cause of raising awareness about the assaults, one of whom is Idris Elba. For the actor, reports that child knife killers have risen 77 percent is unsettling, so he's taken to social media to speak out against violent crime on his home turf.
He shared a video on his Instagram page, airing out his frustration with the trend that seems to be catching on more than dissipating. "This is NOT NEW but it IS STILL A PROBLEM," Elba writes. "There will ALWAYS be Gangs, Rivals, Struggles In communities, we can’t control that BUT we can make noise about the STABBINGS!! We need to make noise to protect these kids. So many Mothers/Fathers have had to bury their CHILDREN and FAMILY due to stabbings. This is happening to black young kids/men doing it to ourselves."
"We wear the same skin but yet we act like we hate that skin, our identity," he continues. "It’s dumb. It’s getting worse. We OURSELVES need to step up for these kids. Waiting for the Police to do something isn’t a REAL solution, WE cannot WAIT for that. WE NEED TO MAKE NOISE IN PROTEST ABOUT THE DUMB STABBINGS, OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE DEAD AND TO PROTECT THE LIVING. If you are someone that cares about this, make a video and tell them to throw the knives away, not just ENTERTAINERS, EVERYBODY, Ring the alarm and make noise about this. Let’s own this and encourage these gangs to put down the Knifes. ENTERTAINERS IF YOU GIVE A F**K, MAKE A VIDEO TODAY PLEASE."
In the video clip, the actor also says, "You become a murderer, you go to prison, you ain’t got s**t. For what? For some beef that lives within your community. You need to see past that." Elba has created the "Don't stab your future" campaign where he's printed the phrase on shirts. The YBF reports that the proceeds of the sales of the shirts will go to Faron Alex Paul, a knifing victim who was stabbed 18 times who is now an advocate against gun and knife violence.
