‘Standing Together’ against youth knife-crime

The ‘Standing Together’ Rally in London’s Trafalgar Square drew around 400 people to pray and call for action on youth violence, especially through knife crime with over 40 offences a day in London in the last 2 years. In particular the call was to churches to respond and act in practical ways, and it was encouraging to see a wide range of church leaders present. MJR founding trustee Rev Les Isaac, CEO of Ascension Trust, was a driving force behind the rally, and challenged those present to make sure it was a catalyst for further action. “Faith without works is dead. We need to go out of our church buildings and serve people”. Prayers were led by a number of church leaders and there were moving stories from several families who have suffered loss of a loved one. One mother said: “We need to create safe spaces. Our children are walking around with knives because they are fearful”. The causes of knife-crime, which disproportionally affects black young people, expose the race-fuelled injustices in our society: another symptom of the legacy of slavery.