Idris Elba is calling on the UK government to take action with the issue of youth violence, releasing the track “Knives Down” as part of his Don’t Stop Your Future campaign.
The cut features DB Maz and is produced by Fraser T Smith and FaNaTiX. Elba targets the government for their inaction on knife crime, while the accompanying music video shows him and the families of victims holding a debate in the House of Commons, as well as photos of the young lives lost. In addition, he appeared at Parliament Square with outfits laid on the ground symbolic of the youth that have been killed. He stood alongside Yemi Hughes, who was holding the clothes worn by her 19-year-old son Andre Aderemi when he lost his life to knife crime.
Elba is demanding Parliament to “urgently prioritise the long-awaited ban on zombie knives and machetes, and to crack down on the supply chains which bring them to UK streets” after the ban was promised in August 2023. “I can’t stay silent as more young lives are lost to these brutal and heartless crimes,” he said in a statement. “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.”
He added, “Parliament has repeatedly not given this issue the focus it deserves, and 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.”
Hughes also shared some words, “As a bereaved mother, I am supporting the ‘Don’t Stop Your Future’ campaign because it is time for serious impactful change. Our individual voices have not been heard but yet our pain continues to be felt by families whose children are still being murdered.” She continued, “The Government needs to take full control of the deployment of interventions, preventions and sanctions which should be adhered to without excuses and made public so that there is no denial about the repercussions for those who continue to carry bladed weapons or commit violent crimes. Young people need to feel safe in their communities and underlying causes of youth violence irradicated immediately.”
Watch Idris Elba’s “Knives Down” visual above.
