London’s annual multicultural Notting Hill Carnival was once again marred by violence, with eight men suffering stab wounds and hundreds of people arrested for various offences including assaults on police officers, sexual assaults, and possession of drugs and weapons.
The two-day Afro-Caribbean Notting Hill Carnival, which has been a staple of the summer in the Central London district since the 1960s, saw 275 people arrested and eight men stabbed this year, including a 29-year-old who was left critically injured after being attacked Monday evening on Warfield Road.
Another 19-year-old man was left in serious but stable condition after being stabbed in Ladbroke Grove at around 10 pm. A further six, aged 18, 19, 20, 25, 28, and 40 also fell victim to stabbings, but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, the Metropolitan Police said.
A total of 275 people were arrested for various offences throughout the two-day Carnival, including sexual assaults, and for possession of drugs and weapons. Police officers were also subjected to violence, with the Met reporting that officers were sexually assaulted and one officer was hospitalised after being bitten.
Footage from the event appeared to show a gang of youths dressed in black and wearing face coverings rampaging through the streets with one brandishing a machete as police gave chase.
Man with machete spotted at Notting Hill Carnival.
Totally normal London behaviour.#NottingHillCarnival #NottingHillCarnival2023 pic.twitter.com/GRuf3pdCHL
— Turning Point UK (@TPointUK) August 29, 2023
Commenting, the head of the policing operation for the event, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “It is regrettable that for a second year in a row, Monday night at Carnival has been marred by serious violence.”
“Nobody disputes the significance of Carnival on London’s cultural calendar and the overwhelming majority of those who came will have had a positive experience.
“However, we cannot overlook the stabbings, sexual assaults and attacks on police officers that we have seen. As we do following any major operation, we will be reviewing the events of the past two days and giving thorough consideration to what may need to change in future years.”
“Carnival is a challenging policing environment. Officers were asked to be vigilant and alert but to be approachable, respectful and sensitive at the same time. They did all of that and more and they deserve our recognition and our thanks.”
Violence and disorder are nothing new at the Notting Hill Carnival, with last year’s festivities seeing a 21-year-old aspiring rapper, Takayo Nembhard, being stabbed to death. There was also public outrage following the sexual assault of a female police officer by two men who used the dense crowd to cover their attack.
In response to the rampant violence, the head of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Ken Marsh demanded last year that the street festival be prohibited.
The Carnival still has political support among the woke left, however, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan describing the event on Sunday as “one of the greatest street parties in the world”.
London Police Release Video of ‘Vicious’ Attack on 19-Year-Old Woman at Notting Hill Carnival https://t.co/V1hwo5PTyE
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 30, 2022