London’s ‘school wars’ reveals the violent slang terms every parent should know

Following increasing threats of violence between London teens, police have launched a full-scale crackdown on the capital’s ‘school wars’.

As part of the taskforce, dubbed Operation Cedarfield, officers are being stationed around implicated schools, the headteachers of which are in ‘close contact’ with law enforcement.

According to Metropolitan Police commander Neerav Patel, online spaces are also being monitored, and requests have been made to disable a dozen social media accounts ‘where threats or violence were planned or encouraged.’

Two weeks ago, Metro broke the story of a TikTok post dividing eight Hackney schools into ‘red’ and ‘blue’ teams, instructing Year 9 pupils to ‘be violent’ and bring sharp objects to a fight at a local a McDonald’s.

Since then, these ‘wars’ have quickly spread to other boroughs including Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Croydon and Harrow, with the number of schools taking part believed to have increased 10-fold, currently totalling 58.

Other posts have also called for inter-borough competitions, pitting the likes of Ealing and Brent at war with Waltham Forest and Southwark.

The content has evolved too, and many image carousels now feature a scoring system where more points are awarded for acts of escalating severity.

Tammy Brown, who lost her son Russell to knife crime in 2016, told Metro: ‘It totally took my breath away seeing these posts. I hate to think of another mum or dad getting that knock on the door that turns their world upside down.

‘Innocent kids could be hurt and for what? Absolutely nothing. It’s just school vs school and terrible and scary for all.’

Parents have been told to pick up their children directly from school, but also to remain aware of their children’s movements, both on and offline — and understanding the slang terms being used here can be a vital tool in spotting if they’re caught up in something dangerous.

London’s ‘school wars’ slang

Some of the terms used in the posts we’ve seen so far, along with their meanings, include:

• Clash: An event where pupils are invited to attend carrying sharp objects such as compasses and metal combs.
• Opp: Shorthand for opposition, referring to the rival side or a specific ‘enemy’.
• Opp block: A rival gang’s territory, either a specific place, postcode or a wider area.
• Beef: A disagreement, feud or conflict.
• Duck down: To stab someone or attack them with a knife.
• Bang: To hit someone or beat them up.
• Jug: To rob or steal from someone.
• Stain: Can either refer to a robbery, or a target or victim.
• Tag: To chase and physically attack someone.
• Lacking: Unawares, without backup, for example to ‘catch someone lacking’.
• Jump: To attack or ambush someone.

Advice for parents

A number of schools, including those not mentioned in the social media posts, have sent out letters to parents alerting them to concerns.

Graveney School in Tooting, South London, said: ‘We will ensure that our usual security measures are deployed effectively, including using our ability to search students if necessary.’

No official advice has been issued for pupils to be kept at home, but if you’re concerned, get in contact with your child’s school for further guidance.

The Met recommends stressing the consequences of violence with young people who may be involved, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the Labour MP for Ilford North in Redbridge, wrote in the comments of one post: ‘Hope parents are clear with their children that we’ll come down on this sort of behaviour like a ton of bricks.’

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