Idris Elba Denounces Knife Crime in London
Idris Elba is 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 the No More Red campaign.
“It’s absolutely in response to the knife crime crisis that we’ve got going on,” Elba said. “Last year, 30 kids — and I’m going to say ‘kids’ — died senselessly over 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.”
He serves as a mentor for 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’s website.
“No More Red literally means ‘no more bloodshed.’ That’s what we’re going for, just to put it out there, no more bloodshed. We can do something, football is watched by teenagers, we all joined football as a teen, as kids, and it spoke to us,” Elba added. “So, we’re using the innovation of the partnership to say, ‘Hey guys, how can we make a stand against knife crime?'”