Founded in 1966 by West Indian immigrants, the Notting Hill Carnival – the world’s second-largest carnival and Europe’s largest street music festival – has always been known for violence and clashes with police. However, Scotland Yard said it had arrested 71 people over the same time for a variety of alleged offences.
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A festival in London was marred by violence this weekend as police arrested 454 people.
Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Ken Marsh claimed that an increasing number of criminals want to hijack the celebration, the biggest of its kind in Europe, and turn officers into “professional punch bags”.
More than 7,000 police officers worked to maintain order in an operation said to have cost more than £6 million – around £6 for each of the million revellers who attended.
“This year we had a 15-year-old boy slashed with a zombie knife. and others left with life-changing injuries”.
Officers also seized more than 150 canisters of nitrous oxide – with a street value of over £2,000 – from Wormington Road, Kensington and Chelsea. This year’s arrest count is nothing compared to that of 2015, when over 400 people ended up in custody. A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a knife attack that led to a 15-year-old boy being treated in intensive care.
It has been held since 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate cultures and traditions. Many local businesses have closed during the event since 1977, when police stormed the carnival amid looting of shops.
“It’s excellent! We are loving the free spirit of everyone and we have all been dancing”, said Annuar Aziz, a 41-year-old businessman from Malaysia who stumbled on the event by accident with his wife and four children.
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Thousands of revellers turned out for the second and final day of the annual street party in west London.
