Photo: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock
Idris Elbais speaking out against the ongoing epidemic of knife violence in London.
The Golden Globe winner, 49, supported Arsenal F.C. at Sunday’s match against Nottingham Forrest for the Emirates FA Cup, donning an all-white jersey from the team’s collaboration with Adidas for theNo More Redcampaign.
“It’s absolutely in response to the knife crime crisis that we’ve got going on,” Elbasaid. “Last year, 30 kids — and I’m going to say ‘kids’ —died senselesslyover knife crime. And the year before that, the year before that, it’s an ongoing problem. Ian [Wright] and I teamed up with Arsenal and Adidas to make a point and say something about it.”
Heserves as a mentorfor the initiative, which “aims to tackle the root causes of youth violence and provide safe spaces and opportunities for our young people,” according to Arsenal’swebsite.
Elba also advocated for youth centers and safe spaces to combat the knife crime crisis. “We’re never going to stop gang culture, that’s not the aim. But we want to give an alternative,” he explained.
TheLutheractor clarified that the Adidas jerseys are not for sale, while pairing his with a hat fromDon’t Stab Your Future, a campaign he started two years ago. “It’s not subtle, it’s not meant to be,” Elba said of the campaign. “I want kids to think about their future.”
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The knife crime capital of the U.K., London experienced 10,130 incidents of knife crime in 2021, or around 27 a day,The Sunreported.
source: people.com
