Police have launched a special operation after multiple ‘schools wars’ were advertised on TikTok to begin in London this Friday.
Scotland Yard said Operation Cedarfield will be on high alert to shut down gangster-style brawls organised online pitting schools against each other.
Schools across the capital have also sent out letters warning parents to monitor their children’s social media use in case they are recruited.
Anonymous TikTok posts have gone viral calling on pupils to bring weapons including compasses, rulers, scissors, knives and fireworks for fights against other schools on named days.
The posts tell pupils to ‘be violent’ and instruct them to film any altercations to post online ‘for extra points’.
More than 50 schools in at least 12 London boroughs have been pitted against each other in a week of brawls.
Police have launched a special operation after multiple 'schools wars' were advertised (pictured) on TikTok to begin in London this Friday
Scotland Yard said Operation Cedarfield will be on high alert to shut down gangster-style brawls organised online pitting schools against each other
Schools across the capital have also sent out letters warning parents to monitor their children's social media use in case they are recruited
The posts group schools together under ‘red’ and ‘blue’ teams and specify which year groups should take part.
A scoring system awards 20 points for punching a rival and 10 points for chasing.
The messages are inspired by notorious Los Angeles street gangs the Bloods and Crips, with accompanying images featuring men in red and blue balaclavas.
One of the messages was spotted by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the Labour MP for Ilford North in Redbridge, who wrote underneath: ‘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.’
The Metropolitan Police said it had launched Operation Cedarfield to monitor the posts and respond to any violence.
Anonymous TikTok posts have gone viral calling on pupils to bring weapons including compasses, rulers, scissors, knives and fireworks for fights against other schools on named days
The posts tell pupils to ‘be violent’ and instruct them to film any altercations to post online 'for extra points'
One post, directed at schools in East London, is titled ‘Hackney War’ and lists four schools for each side – including the top-performing Mossbourne Community Academy.
Schools sending letters out have included Fortismere School in Muswell Hill, North London; Sydenham School in Lewisham, South East London and Graveney School in Tooting, South London.
These schools said that while they had not been specifically targeted for brawls, they wanted parents to monitor children’s social media use in case they come across the posts.
The Fortismere letter said: ‘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.’
The Graveney letter said: ‘We will ensure that our usual security measures are deployed effectively, including using our ability to search students if necessary.’
The Met’s Commander Neerav Patel said: ‘We’re aware of social media posts circulating and are in close contact with schools across several London boroughs to offer reassurance.
‘Officers will maintain a strong, visible presence around schools, and will respond firmly to any reports of violence or disorder.
‘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.’
Tammy Brown, who lost her son Russell to knife crime in 2016, told Metro: ‘It totally took my breath away seeing these posts. I hate to think of another mum or dad getting that knock on the door that turns their world upside down.’
The schools named have been contacted for comment.
