Revealed: The Clapham teen group chats inviting mob chaos – with more disorder planned for this weekend

Youth flash mobs wreaked havoc in Clapham this week as wild youths smashed the streets, set fires and terrorized innocent bystanders in a series of Easter holiday attacks.

Staff working on the busy high street described children causing havoc on Saturday and Tuesday, ignoring police orders to disperse and even engaging in aggressive confrontations with officers, and having to lock their doors early.

And with the holidays still weeks away, it looks like we’ve only seen the beginning of this increase in youth disorder.

Responding to a call to create chaos that first emerged on social media last week, the scheming youths are believed to be already planning their next mob action.

The shady underworld organizing the disruptions has evolved into more secretive group chats, away from the public eye.

The crazy ‘links’ over the last few days were first organized using a digital flyer on Snapchat: ‘Link back to Clapham Courts 2026…Let’s bring the courts back for the summer!!!! Saturday, March 28 – from noon to 14.00.’

The flyer had a line at the bottom encouraging attendees to bring their own balloons, which are often used to consume laughing gas, as well as marijuana, Metro reported.

Messages in a leaked Snapchat group chat reveal the planning that went into the Clapham flash mob and the potential for more meet-ups.

Police try to disperse young people taking to the streets in Clapham on Tuesday afternoon

Fires were seen burning in the fields of Clapham Common as police arrived to extinguish the fires

Users are sending each other messages telling each other how excited they are for the flash mob, with one boasting: ‘If I’m there the police will run away.’

The group chat then goes on to discuss the possibility of being caught following the outage, with one participant asking: ‘Am I screwed?’

‘Tell them the police are racist,’ says one man making plans on how to evade police action.

Burgess Park and Crystal Palace Park in south London are being touted as possible locations for the next ‘connection’.

‘Crystal Palace Park is an absolute scream,’ says one person. ‘B.C. [Because] ‘It’s too big for the police to get in, plus there’s only one entrance the police can get into and that’s at the back.’

Another adds: ‘The Burgess is too big for everyone to pack in and there’s a bare ground there. [lots of] interest.’

Footage of Tuesday’s gathering, which sparked panic among commuters and shoppers in Clapham, shows a police officer playing basketball with young boys in the hours after gangs attacked emergency workers and looted shops.

One video shows PC Kyp Kyriacou of the Metropolitan Police – known as ‘the dunking police officer’. at Clapham Common basketball courts on Tuesday night after youths went wild on the nearby high street of Southern London.

The clip, which has already been liked 2,500 times, was posted by TikTok user @cb.wxrld with the caption ‘I can’t get arrested anymore’.

The Daily Mail understands that PC Kyriacou was part of the local policing team in Clapham at the time of the disturbance and that the video was taken after it had ended. There is no suggestion that any of the men in the clip were involved in any crime.

Meanwhile, as young people rioted in the streets, Sir Sadiq Khan called on British diplomats to help counter ‘disinformation and lies’ about London amplified by Donald Trump.

The Mayor used an interview with Reuters on Tuesday to call on diplomats serving around the world to help combat the US President’s ‘propaganda’.

Mr Trump, a frequent critic of Sir Sadiq, whom he described as a ‘terrible mayor’, has made a number of claims about London, including claims that crime is ‘all the way up’ and that the city wants to ‘move to sharia law’.

But Sir Sadiq said in an interview after a meeting with British diplomats, ambassadors and high commissioners that London was not perfect but remained a safe city, safer than major US cities.

Responding to a call to create chaos that first emerged on social media last week, the scheming youths are believed to be already planning their next mob action in group chats

The Mayor pointed to data showing London recorded its lowest number of murders per capita since records began last year and a fall in 2025 in phone-snatching, which the capital has become notorious for in recent years.

He said: ‘A lot of this misinformation, disinformation and lies are coming from the United States. ‘It’s really important to counter the propaganda coming from President Trump.’

However, responding to Sir Sadiq’s remarks, a White House spokesman said: ‘Left-wing policies… have rendered once-great cities like London unrecognisable.’ he said.

The spokesman said President Trump “rightly warned European leaders that Western civilization would continue to erode if they did not quickly reverse course.”

Shopkeepers on Clapham High Street are bracing for more unrest during the school holidays, when hundreds of children flocked twice.

Staff working on the road described being forced to lock their doors after youths caused havoc on Saturday and Tuesday as part of an online trend.

The boys arranged to meet in so-called ‘hooks’ using social media apps such as TikTok and Snapchat, before popping into shops and setting off fireworks on Clapham Common.

Six teenage girls were arrested and the Met issued a 48-hour dispersal order on Tuesday.

Sheikh Awais, who works at the Rooster Spot chicken shop, said: ‘A lot of children came into the high street and the police were catching some people but then at least 70 to 80 children also came into our shop.

Police officer Kyp Kyriacou catches the ball at the Clapham Common basketball courts on Tuesday. There is no suggestion that any of the men in the video were involved in any crime

Young man runs towards PC Kyriacou, picks up the ball and dunks it 360 degrees

‘They were sitting there shouting, some of them were rude and aggressive towards me. Some came out nicely. It is bad for business, it is rush hour in the evening, everyone goes home and buys food.

‘The police said please close the shop if you can, and I said yes.’

Yash, who works in Olive and Meze next door to Sainsbury’s, said: ‘I was working here and witnessed it all. When police arrived at Sainsbury’s they ran into McDonald’s and a fight broke out.

‘I had to close the door, I don’t want any trouble, you don’t know what they’re carrying and you can’t touch them. There were so many, you can’t count them, I’d say around a thousand wandering around.

‘They might come back again, but I don’t know why they’re doing this.’

Businesses said it was mostly food stores that were targeted, with the local branch of McDonald’s reporting food theft.

Raz, the manager of Venus Barber shop, said: ‘I saw them running out the window towards the street. I heard on social media that they were organizing this and apparently the police were aware of it too.

‘Apparently they say it will happen again on Saturday, it happened last Saturday and it looks like it will happen again this Saturday.’

Another shop owner said: ‘The shops they go to are very strange. ‘This isn’t trainer shops or anything, it’s food.’

Parents of hundreds of teenagers gathered in Clapham have been warned by police to take responsibility and know where their children are.

The Met said more arrests would be made while officers review CCTV and body-worn camera footage.

100 police officers were sent to Clapham on Tuesday following Saturday’s unrest. In addition to four police officers, a citizen was also attacked.

Detective Superintendent Emma Bond said: ‘Our officers will continue to maintain a strong and visible presence around Clapham and we will respond strongly to any reports of disorder, theft or planned gatherings.

‘I would urge young people who think this is just a bit of fun to think carefully about the consequences. Incidents like this, fueled by online trends and viral content on platforms like TikTok, can escalate quickly and lead to serious consequences.

‘If you take part or cause further disorder you should expect to be arrested and risk a criminal record; This can have long-term consequences for your future, including employment opportunities and potentially your ability to travel.

‘There is extensive CCTV footage on streets and businesses in the area and we are currently reviewing this footage and officers’ body-worn video cameras to identify those who committed crimes on Saturday and last night.

‘Parents or guardians of those involved in last night’s disturbance also have a role to play.

‘I urge them to take responsibility, be proactive in knowing where their children are and who they are with, and take steps to ensure they are not involved in this type of unacceptable antisocial behaviour.’

The Clapham riot continued into Tuesday evening as scores of young people confronted police

In the images circulating on social media, a crowd of children was seen wreaking havoc in the neighborhood.

A gang of youths took over the Marks and Spencer food hall in Clapham on Saturday

Young people gathered in Birmingham city center last Friday and ran through the streets.

On Tuesday, three girls, a 17-year-old and two 13-year-olds, were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, while on Saturday, two 16-year-old girls and a 15-year-old were arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault.

Similar scenes were seen in Birmingham city center last Friday after schools were closed for the Easter holidays.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: ‘We are aware that Birmingham city center often sees influxes of schoolchildren during school term holidays.

‘Last Friday, a handful of people were arrested for breaching public order and dealt with accordingly.

‘Local officers worked closely with the local community, the Bullring and local partners to reduce further disturbance and disperse crowds.’

PC Kyriacou, who works for the Mid-South Local Districts team, has been using basketball to build trust and rapport with young people for years.

He is popular with local youth in the community and knows many of them by their first name thanks to his work in schools.

After the disturbance had ended and the officers had waited to be relieved, one of the young men who had been playing on the field and had not been involved in any of the riots asked PC Kyriacou to go and catch the ball for a game of ‘alleyoop’.

This is an offensive play in basketball in which a player holds or throws the ball near the rim for a teammate to catch in the air and immediately dunk.