A shocking video surfaced showing two men fighting with machetes on Wick Road in Hackney, London, amidst a larger brawl involving around 10 men dressed in black. The 20-second clip, recorded by a civilian, highlights the growing incidence of knife crime in London, which increased by 17.4% in 2023/24. Critics, including victims’ advocates, have condemned Mayor Sadiq Khan for his failure to curb the rising violence, which has reportedly escalated by 61% during his tenure. The situation has sparked public outrage, with many viewing his recent knighthood as an insult to victims’ families.
Shocking video shows two men with swords fighting with machetes in the middle of a London street on Friday night.
One of the men swings a giant two-foot-long blade at the other, while his opponent (also carrying a giant machete) steps back.
About 10 other men, all dressed in black, are involved in a running battle in the street.
The horrific scene took place on Wick Road in Homerton, Hackney, north London.
Motorists were forced to slow down as armed brawls spilled onto the roads.
A white Ford Fiesta is seen driving slowly in one direction, then another car and a gray Volkswagen Gold pass in the opposite direction.
The harrowing 20-second video, shot by a member of the public on a cell phone and uploaded to X (formerly Twitter), shows the first man backing away, brandishing a weapon.
It’s just the latest brutal incident in London’s knife crime horror show.
A shocking video was released on Friday night showing two men with swords fighting with machetes in the middle of a London street.
This harrowing 20-second video was shot on a cellphone by a civilian and uploaded to X (formerly Twitter).
The horrific scene took place on Wick Road in Hackney, north London.
Just a few months ago, in October, a similar horrifying video was released showing two men fighting with machetes in broad daylight in the middle of High Street in East Ham, east London.
Knife crime is on the rise in London, with 15,016 crimes committed in 2023/24, an increase of 17.4% from 12,786 the previous year.
This is the highest crime rate since 2019/2020, after which it fell significantly during the coronavirus pandemic and has steadily increased each year since.
According to the 2024 Crime Report for England and Wales, around 30% of knife crimes are recorded by the Metropolitan Police.
Sadiq Khan, previously the councilor for Tooting in south London, became Mayor of London in May 2016 and was subsequently re-elected in 2021 and 2024.
As mayor, he is in charge of the police, but during his time at City Hall, London was dubbed the “knife crime capital” and the Metropolitan Police was forced to take special measures.
Lord Sadiq has been accused of “losing control” of crime in the city, with knife crime reported to have increased by 38% since taking office.
The Labor politician was knighted in this year’s New Year Honors List, but knife crime activists claim it is an “insult” to the victim’s family.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has been criticized for failing to tackle London’s knife crime epidemic.
The fight in Hackney is just the latest in a string of knife crimes involving thousands of people each year.
Suzanne Hedges, whose son was stabbed to death by a teenager in 2016, told the Daily Telegraph: “This is an insult, it is degrading and disrespectful to families who have lost someone to knife crime.” spoke.
Courtney Barrett, from the group Binning Knives Saves Lives, added: “Knighthood is an insult. I speak for the 20 families of murder victims I work closely with.”
Philip, an MP for south Croydon, previously said: “Under Sadiq Khan, Londoners have faced a 61 per cent increase in knife crime, a housing crisis and a 70 per cent rise in council tax.”
“They will rightly be furious that his track record of failure has been rewarded.”
Matthew Goodwin-Freeman, Conservative councilor for Harrow, launched a Change.org petition describing the city as “currently divided due to Mr Khan’s polarizing politics”.
It says: “Crime rates in London have increased markedly during his term, with knife crime reaching record highs in recent years.”
“Despite being in a position to make a difference, Mr. Khan continues to ignore these critical issues, failing to take decisive action himself and shifting responsibility elsewhere.”
We have asked the Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
