School Wars: school wars posts alarm parents after Northampton schools named in violent post
Parents in Northamptonshire and headteachers in London have raised alarm after social media posts promoting school wars encouraged pupils to gather and "be violent". The poster spread on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram this week, but who created it remains unclear.
School Wars reach multiple platforms
The poster promoted a "Northampton War", listed multiple schools in the area and encouraged teenagers to gather and "be violent". The same pattern has appeared in London posts on TikTok and Snapchat that encourage pupils aged 11 to 16 to join organised fights.
Northamptonshire parents' response
Rebecca Birdsall, a mother of four, said the post left her "terrified" about her children's safety. "Yesterday [Wednesday], my son's phone tracking went off and I went into massive panic mode because he was late home and I didn't know where he was, " she said. "I need to know where he is all the time. " She added the response from her children's school was "amazing" after she informed them of the post.
Police action and warnings
Northamptonshire Police said they were aware of the post and warned that "anyone seen fighting or wielding weapons of any kind will be arrested". The force said officers had been visiting schools to speak to students and carrying out "proactive patrols around schools and areas where disorder could occur".
Metropolitan policing and consequences
Commander Neerav Patel, from the Metropolitan Police, said the force was aware of the posts and was in contact with several London boroughs to offer reassurance. "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, " he said. In a message to pupils he added: "I would like to remind young people of the serious consequences of getting involved in matters like this. An arrest, charge and conviction for violence and carrying weapons could mean imprisonment, with a significant long-term impact on future opportunities. "
How the posts are structured
One post advertised a "north London war" between pupils from year seven to 11, pitting four named schools on a "red side" against four on a "blue side". Another promoted a "Hackney war" and urged Year 9 pupils from eight schools to meet up with everyday items, implying they could be used as weapons. One version of a Hackney post used images of weapons to bring, including knives, compasses and fireworks. The messages often split schools into 'red' and 'blue' sides and asked onlookers to film attacks and send footage to the organiser. Other posts have suggested a points system based on the harm done to opponents, urging participants to "be violent".
Schools responding and pupil reaction
Several schools have alerted parents. A letter from Fortismere school, in Muswell Hill, north London, 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. " Graveney school in Tooting, south-east London, told parents: "We will ensure that our usual security measures are deployed effectively, including using our ability to search students if necessary. "
Pupils are sceptical about the veracity of some posts. One year 10 pupil said: "People are just trying to fearmonger parents … any teenager with common sense would not meet somewhere where the police have been told about and bring a weapon. " A previous attempt to organise a school fight in Hackney prompted police to issue a dispersal order.
Platform responses and government comment
Snapchat’s internal safety team has taken down posts inciting violence, while TikTok has been removing content which violates its community guidelines forbidding threats, the glorifying of violence, or promotion of crimes that could harm people or property. The Metropolitan Police have asked social media platforms to ban accounts promoting "school wars" and headteachers have warned parents about the posts.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said he had flagged the issue to colleagues and wrote underneath one of the posts: "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. " Michael Stratton, a Reform UK councillor and cabinet member for children, families and education at West Northamptonshire Council, described the post as "incredibly irresponsible and wholly unacceptable" and said: "I would urge parents and carers to be aware of what their children may be encountering online and to talk openly with them about making safe choices and avoiding harmful peer pressure. "
Across the areas affected, schools, police and parents have increased vigilance as online calls for school wars continue to circulate and the origin of some posts remains unclear.
