Horrific online videos glorifying killers lure children into gang life
YOUTUBE was accused yesterday of ‘aiding’ gangs to recruit youngsters with popular videos showing members brandishing guns and knives while boasting about violent attacks.
Horrifying films, some viewed up to 1.7million times, show gangsters, many with covered faces, rapping and bragging about criminal activities.
As London’s 2018 murder rate passed 50, a former gang member, who now helps people escape their grip, said children as young as ten were sucked in after watching videos on Google-owned YouTube.
In one of the films, a man says: ‘I splash [stab] consistent blades, blades and they come back dripping [with blood]. We bought brand new weapons. Step into the zone, we’ll annihilate you.’
Another one of hundreds of clips shows a group of youths holding a large kitchen knife, with one rapping: ‘My n ****** bang all day, we shank [stab] and spray [shoot]... I got sticks [knives] in the forest, I don’t listen to Boris [Johnson, then Mayor of London].’
Tory MP Tim Loughton, who sits on the home affairs select committee, described the films as ‘gruesome’.
He said: ‘These could be taken as recruitment videos for gangs getting teenagers involved in very dangerous and violent behaviour.
‘They glorify gang violence at a time when we are seeing record numbers of murders in London – YouTube have no place in aiding and abetting a recruitment tool.’
Senior Scotland Yard officers believe crime bosses are actively funding YouTube videos.
One firearms officer said: ‘There is no doubt that organised crime is behind these videos. Who do you think are paying for them? It’s effective recruitment.’
Children who search for a gang name can find dozens of videos within seconds. Some of the graphic films contain adverts with the content. A video advert by luxury French designer Yves Saint Laurent played before the start of one gang-affiliated video.
The presence of adverts means YouTube stands to make money from people viewing the videos.
Sheldon Thomas, founder of London-based Gangsline, spent ten years in a gang but now goes into primary schools to teach children about their dangers.
Mr Thomas said YouTube was used to ‘groom kids’. He added: ‘You think rather than listen to your mum or dad, you’ll go into your room and watch YouTube. They will message them [gang members] and get a message back... They say: “Come and hang out with us”.’
The head of Operation Trident, set up by the Met Police to fight gang violence, said the force had been monitoring online videos since 2009.
Detective Superintendent Mike West said: ‘We have been working with Google to take down some of the videos, which they have done after approaches from us, but as with all serious violence, there is always more work to be done.’
A spokesman for YouTube said: ‘We do not allow videos that promote violence on YouTube. In the UK, we have developed policies to help tackle knife and gang crime.
‘We are also committed to working constructively with the Home Office on this issue, as we are doing with other organisations.’
‘Dangerous and violent behaviour’