Notting Hill carnival organisers condemn ‘acts of violence’ after stabbings

The organisers of Notting Hill carnival have said they “deplore all acts of violence” after a number of stabbings at the festival on its final day.

Those who carried out the attacks “have nothing to do with Notting Hill carnival or its values”, said Notting Hill Carnival Ltd.

Two men are in hospital, one in a critical condition, after incidents at the west London street party, which attracted an estimated 2 million people over the bank holiday weekend.

People flocked to the annual celebration of Caribbean culture and history, which this year also marked the 75th anniversary of the Windrush arrival, and thousands took part in a jubilant adult parade that closed the festival on Monday.

The organisers said: “Notting Hill carnival has once again been a spectacular weekend of colour and sound, the culmination of a year’s long work, that results in this hugely important and unique cultural event.

“Carnival is about these communities and people, who dedicate so much time, love, incredible creativity and effort to the parade, sound systems, music, food, costumes and much more that makes up the event.

“We deplore all acts of violence, these people have nothing to do with Notting Hill carnival and its values.”

They added that such stabbing were “tragically … all too common in our society”, noting that 12,786 knife offences were carried out in the capital over the 12 months to the end of March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A 29-year-old man is in a critical condition and a 19-year-old man is in a serious but stable condition after stabbings on Monday.

Police said six other men, aged 18, 19, 20, 25, 28 and 40, sustained non-life threatening injuries in separate stabbing incidents on the same day.

There were 275 arrests across the two days of the carnival – Europe’s biggest street party – with 165 arrests on Monday for a range of offences including possession of offensive weapons, assaults on police officers, possession of drugs and sexual offences.

The statement from the organisers comes after the Conservative party’s London mayoral candidate said the event should be moved and potentially held in a park.

Susan Hall, the party’s 2024 London mayoral candidate, said police “don’t want to be there”.

Hall was criticised for saying the week before the Notting Hill carnival, that it was “dangerous” and should be moved, and has previously said she should not be accused of racism for saying there were “problems with crime in the black community”.

After the festival, the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents officers, tweeted: “Once again Notting Hill carnival marred by serious violence – and attacks on police officers. 75 of our colleagues assaulted. Six bitten. One sexually assaulted. One in hospital. This is absolutely disgusting. No wonder our members dread policing this event.”

A spokesperson for the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said: “The Notting Hill carnival is one of the world’s biggest street festivals and is part of the very fabric of our city. It was born out of the Caribbean community in north Kensington and Notting Hill, and the mayor believes that it’s only right that this remains its home.”