LONDON: Actor Idris Elba on Monday urged the British government to ban machetes and serrated “zombie” knives to help stop young people falling victim to knife crime. The London-born star of “The Wire” and “Luther” joined protesters from the “Don’t Stop Your Future” campaign outside Parliament, posing with clothes and shoes representing people killed by knives. I

n the UK, which has strict gun-control laws, about four in 10 homicides involve a knife or sharp instrument. There is particular concern about knife crime involving young people in Britain’s cities. In London, 21 teenagers were killed in 2023, 18 of whom were stabbed to death. “I can’t stay silent as more young lives are lost to these brutal and heartless crimes,” Elba said. “As school returns, too many young people will not be joining their classmates and too many grieving families have lost a young person they love in recent years.” The government announced a ban on machetes and knives that are designed to look threatening in August 2023, but the law has yet to be approved by Parliament. (AP)