Knife crime causes, ‘old age’ and a hero robbed of her identity
In light of MetroTalk (Fri) discussion of knife crime in and its comparison to US mass shootings, a reader highlights that it’s fear, rather than malicious intent, that often drives young men to carry knives.
That said, shouldn’t the government address why they might be carrying knives in the first place, rather than imposing a harsh punishment for a first offence?
Meanwhile, how old is ‘old’?, commendable feats of courage during WWII, the power of protest and could Keir Starmer rebuild the UK’s relationship with Europe if he wins at the next General Election?
Share what you think about these topics and more in the comments
Why are kids carrying knives?
Knife crime in the UK is not, as Bob Readman says (MetroTalk, Fri), the same as mass shootings in the US.
The majority of young men carrying knives are doing so because they’re scared and vulnerable to a malicious minority who mean to cause real harm.
Where are their protections?
Mr Readman’s suggestion for tougher sentences for these vulnerable young men carrying bladed articles – who are disproportionately stopped and searched – would be a draconian response to those already failed by austerity cuts and the indifference of society.
We need community centres, safe spaces and youth workers, not harsh punishment for scared teenagers trying to protect themselves on the fringes of a society that does little to show they are valued or that they have any opportunities to flourish.
Give children a fair chance at having a decent life. Michael, Manchester
Is 57 geriatric?
So, a report shows that Gen-Zs think that, at 57, Salma Hayek should now be classed as geriatric (Metro, Fri).
Well, I have news for them. While not quite of the same vintage as Salma, I can confirm that they, too, will be middle-aged before they know it.
Time goes very fast but, alas, they have no concept of this in their youth. I can totally believe what the report says, that it is the baby boomers who are more active and spend more time outdoors, as they fully understand this.
I would love a twenty-something to ask me whether I ever wished to be young again, just so I could throw that old Bob Dylan lyric at them. ‘Ah, but I was so much older then/I’m younger than that now.’ Dec, Essex
Further to your report on the lethal dagger-hairbrush of SOE agent Maria Skarbek (Metro, Thu). Maria was born Krystyna Skarbek in 1908 to a Jewish mother (Stefania, who was murdered in the Holocaust and from the Goldfeder banking family).
Her extraordinary feats of courage during World War II earned her the George Medal, OBE and Croix de Guerre.
When she died in 1952 – murdered by a jilted lover – her remains were taken under the protection of the Polish Military Exile community in London and she was buried, without any consultation with the Jewish community or Jewish participation or ritual, in a Catholic cemetery in Kensal Green. We, however, claim her with pride as one of ours, and as one of hundreds of Jewish SOE agents and auxiliaries who served or died in SOE, from the UK, Europe and Israel. Martin Sugarman, Author and Archivist Of The Association Of Jewish Ex-Servicemen And Women Of The UK
The protesters who defended the asylum seekers from being taken to the Bibby Stockholm barge from Peckham on Thursday are amazing. They successfully stopped that coach going and those people from being forcibly taken somewhere that has been found to be unsafe.
Those people would then have been forced to go to Rwanda, another place that is not safe.
This scheme won’t work, it is barbaric and a points-gaining measure playing with people’s lives for votes.
Those people who were arrested should be immediately released unconditionally and have any charges against them dropped.
They showed humanity in action. Sophie, London
Keir can rebuild ties with Europe
I agree Brexit has been injurious but it is fanciful for Peter to suggest (MetroTalk, Thu) it could be reversed.
Being part of the EU is not like a gym membership that can be dipped in and out of. Britain was only able to join at its third attempt.
Should Sir Keir Starmer become PM, I believe he will seek to rebuild economic and social ties with mainland Europe and be in a better negotiating position to do so than the present government. In the meantime, he should keep his powder dry. Robert Hughes, London
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