Police and Schools Respond to Social Media Posts Encouraging Violence
Pupils as young as 11 are being encouraged to participate in school fights through posts on TikTok and Snapchat, leading the Metropolitan Police to urge children not to get involved. The Met has requested social media platforms to ban accounts promoting so-called “school wars,” which often include images of weapons.
One post advertised a “north war” involving pupils from year seven to year 11, dividing four named schools into a “red side” and four schools on a “blue side.” Another post promoted a “Hackney war” and featured images of weapons such as knives, compasses, and fireworks that participants were encouraged to bring.
Additional posts have suggested a points system based on the harm inflicted on opponents, urging participants to “be violent.”
Metropolitan Police Monitoring and Engagement
Commander Neerav Patel of the Metropolitan Police stated that the force is aware of these posts and is working closely with several London boroughs to provide reassurance to communities.
“We continue to closely monitor online spaces and have worked with platforms to request a dozen social media accounts to be disabled where threats or violence were planned or encouraged.”
Addressing pupils directly, Commander Patel added:
“I would like to remind young people of the serious consequences of getting involved in matters like this. An arrest, charge and conviction for violence and carrying weapons could mean imprisonment with a significant long-term impact on future opportunities.”
Previous Incidents and School Responses
A prior attempt to organize a school fight in Hackney led police to issue a dispersal order to prevent violence.
Several London schools have sent letters to parents warning them about the social media posts encouraging violence. For example, Fortismere School in Haringey, north London, stated in a letter:
“We are writing to alert you to recent social media activity circulating across various parts of London that encourages young people to take part in so called ‘tagging’ or ‘schools wars’ –style games.
Thank you to parents who have approached us with concerns they have had when checking their children’s phones.”
Similarly, Graveney School in Tooting, south-east London, informed parents:
“We will ensure that our usual security measures are deployed effectively, including using our ability to search students if necessary.”
Pupil Perspectives and Government Response
Some pupils remain skeptical about the authenticity of the posts, with some believing them to be spoofs. One year 10 pupil told the Evening Standard:
“People are just trying to fearmonger parents … 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 government colleagues. According to MailOnline, he commented under one of the posts:
“I’ve raised this at highest levels in government. Hope parents are clear with their children that we’ll come down on this sort of behaviour like a ton of bricks.”
