'Disaster waiting to happen!' Children urged to bring weapons for four-month 'war' on streets of London

Children have been urged to bring weapons for a four-month "war" on the streets of London.

An image on TikTok has promoted the "Hackney War" for Year Nine pupils - children as young as 13.

An anonymous account divided schools in East London into two groups, red side and blue side, and encouraged them to fight until June.

The image encourages children to "jump" any pupil "you see from the opposite".

It listed compasses and metal combs as some of the items allowable in the brawl, adding that "rulers are involved".

Pupils from the eight schools are encouraged to "be violent".

Listed as the "red side" were City Academy, Cardinal Pole, Haggerston School, and Urswick School.

On the "blue side" were The Excelsior, Bridge Academy, Mossbourne Community Academy, and City of London Academy Shoreditch Park.

One woman with a grandson in the year group, told the Metro: "There is no hiding on that street, everything is completely open.

What if a pupil just happens to be walking through it and gets jumped? It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

"I have rung all the schools and so far everyone seems disinterested, but we all saw what happened at Kingsbury High School.

"This could end up being really serious."

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The imagery appears to be inspired by gang rivalries in Los Angeles.

The bandanas seen in the TikTok image are commonly worn by American gangs, with Bloods wearing red and Crips wearing blue.

A spokesman for the City of London Academies Trust said: "The safety and well-being of students is our highest priority.

"Encouraging, organising, or promoting violence is completely unacceptable, and this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated."

The academy trust also said it was in contact with parents, local partners, and the Metropolitan Police to "ensure students are kept safe and fully understand the seriousness of their actions".

The Metropolitan Police said: "We are aware of these social media posts and are making enquiries to identify those responsible.

"We will take a robust approach to any violence and use our powers under anti-social behaviour laws to deal with groups intent on disorder.

"We are working closely with our partners in local schools and the council and would also like to reassure people in Hackney that we will be increasing patrols in the area."