The spirit of revolutionary civil rights leader Malcolm X was invoked yesterday during a call for gang members to lay down their arms and turn their lives around.

Glenn Fubler, a community activist, gathered former members of the revolutionary Black Beret Cadre and other activists to call for an end to violence — and aimed their message at a group of invited CedarBridge Academy pupils.

During the meeting at Place’s Place on Victoria Street, Mr Fubler called on those living violent lives to “lay down their weapons” and “study war no more”.

The rally marked the 59th anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination at age 39.

The pupils were invited to see the role they could play in making a difference in their communities.

Mr Fubler reminded the youngsters that Malcolm X, who later renamed himself El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, started off as a brilliant but troubled young man who fell into a life of crime.

He added that his ability to go from a petty criminal to a Muslim minister and civil rights activist showed that anyone can turn their lives around.

Mr Fubler said: “Transformation is possible in all of us, and we are inviting and welcoming, in the spirit of love, those who are caught up in local violence.”

Michael Barkley, a Christian minister, said that he hoped to see religious leaders across all faiths banding together to assist in the issue of gang violence.

He explained: “A lot of the gang members asked me, ‘Why should I go to church when a lot of these guys are fighting within the church?’

“I thought ‘that’s true’, so it’s time to get the churches together, stop fighting each other, and be of one accord.”

Mr Barkley added: “I go out and talk to gangs because I feel like these gangs are our people.

“These are our children, so let’s get together and talk to our children, and build them up to be better people.”

Emir Saleem Talbot, director of the Bermuda Islamic Cultural Centre, told the pupils that prejudice was a very old and ingrained mindset — but that they each had the power to let it go.

He said: “It’s up to you to go and study and understand for yourself what life is about.

“You have people out killing one another because they’re of a different race. How stupid can they be? How cruel can you be?”