Bereaved mothers of young stabbing victims join London rally against knife crime

Bereaved family members of stabbing victims have urged action to halt a rise in knife crime at a rally in north London.

Around 500 people joined the rally in the north London borough of Islington, with many carrying placards showing stab murder victims.

They spoke out after knife crime figures across the capital rose by more than 23 per cent in the last year, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Ten people have been stabbed to death in London within the last two weeks alone.

Mother Philippa Addai, whose 17-year-old son Marcel was killed 18 months ago, broke down as she described her loss to ITV News.

"We've had enough, it's too many people dying every day," she said.

"It's time for everyone to come together and make a change. It doesn't matter what colour you are, what religion, we all bleed the same."

She said that many families were "too scared" to let out their children go outside for fear they might be killed.

Ms Addai urged parents to talk to their children so they can spot any problems early on.

March organiser Tracy Prescott, from The Crib youth club, called for more action ranging from better education to more stop and search.

She said many youths carried knives out of fears for their own protection - but a large number of those killed ended up being stabbed with their own weapon.

"It's escalated for protection, fear," she said. "It does not really make them safer. It makes them more vulnerable for getting into trouble."

She said that the problem spread across all races and genders, with a growing number of girls also being sucked into knife crime.