London Church Leaders Organise 'Walk of Peace' Amid Recent Gun Attacks

Hundreds of Christians, along with Londoners from all communities, will unite in a prayer walk through the two London boroughs blighted by recent tragic gun attacks.

|PIC1|The torch-lit walk, from Peckham Square to Windrush Square in Brixton, follows the murders in the area in the past month.

It will take place from 5pm to 7pm on February 22, the same day Prime Minister Tony Blair holds a Government summit on gun crime with ministers, police and experts.

The walk has been organised by a coalition of Black church and other Christian leaders, and there will be representation from people of other faiths and diverse communities. It is being supported by the Mayor of London's office and the Metropolitan Police Service.

Pastor Nims Obunge of the Peace Alliance said: "Drugs and guns are a menace to our society. We all need to work together with criminal justice agencies to help vulnerable young people and keep guns off the street."

One of the leaders at the walk will be Pastor Les Isaac, Director of the Ascension Trust Street Pastors Initiative. The trust organises hundreds of volunteer pastors across the country, who go onto the streets to talk to young people at night.

Pastor Isaac said: "Parents have spoken to us about young people going to school wearing bullet-proof vests.

"I'm walking because there is an expectation that the church should do something - should stand with those who are mourning. They should also find a solution, a way forward to get our young people out of this quagmire."

Lee Jasper is Director of Policing for the Mayor of London's Office and Chair of the Metropolitan Police Service Operation Trident Independent Advisory Group.

He said the Mayor's Office applauds the response of Black majority churches to the spate of murders of teenagers in South London.

"This prayer walk will demonstrate the total abhorrence of the vast majority of black Londoners to gun violence," he said.

"Our children need to see we care.

"We must support the police tackling these crimes. We must also face the reality that we have a serious problem with a small minority of our young people. Parental and familial responsibility here is absolutely key."

Cheryl Sealey, an anti-gun campaigner and a member of the Operation Trident advisory group, said: "As believers, it's important for us to work and pray for peace - faith without works is dead. We want as many people as possible to support the march on Thursday."

The Black Police Association works with young people and faith communities in London.
Its deputy chair, Bevan Powell, said: "The police cannot tackle this problem alone. The churches are critical partners in addressing the issues and providing a moral and positive framework for young people."