The opening day of the Notting Hill Carnival was marred by violence, with at least three people stabbed, one of whom remains in critical condition, according to London Metropolitan Police. The police reported that a 32-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries in one stabbing, while a 29-year-old man was stabbed and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The condition of a 24-year-old man who was also stabbed was not immediately available.
“Hundreds of thousands of people came to Notting Hill Carnival today to enjoy a fantastic celebration. Our officers have been on duty working to keep them safe as part of a very carefully planned policing operation,” the police service said. “Regrettably, a minority came to commit crime and engage in violence.”
In addition to the stabbings, 15 police officers were assaulted, though none sustained serious injuries. Police made 90 arrests for various offenses including 10 for possession of drugs, 18 for possession of offensive weapons, four for sexual offenses, one for theft, four for robbery, six for assault, one for a public order offense, eight for possession of drugs with intent to distribute, and 30 for possession of drugs – four of which were for possession of nitrous oxide.
Prior to the carnival, police were authorized to order the removal of face coverings used to conceal identity. Individuals refusing to comply with the order, police said, could be arrested.
The Notting Hill Carnival, one of the world’s largest celebrations of Caribbean music and culture, attracts hundreds of thousands of revelers each year to the streets of west London. This year’s festivities will take place on August 25-26.
The carnival’s history dates back to 1958, when Trinidadian human rights activist Claudia Jones organized a gathering to unify the community after a series of racist attacks on Black people in the Notting Hill neighborhood.
Launched in 1964 with a few Trinidadian steel bands, the carnival has grown into a massive annual street party featuring colorful floats, thousands of calypso dancers in spectacular feathered costumes, almost 20 steel bands and more than two dozen sound systems.
The carnival returned to the neighborhood’s narrow streets in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.