UK: Eight Stabbed at London's Notting Hill Carnival

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • London's Metropolitan Police said that eight people were stabbed at this year's Notting Hill Carnival, adding that 50 officers were injured and that 334 arrests were made during the event.[1]
  • The two-day street party — a celebration of Caribbean music and culture dating back to the 1960s — started small, but is now typically attended by more than 1M people each year. It is marked by colorful costumes, music and dancing, but has been marred by instances of violence and criminality as well.[2][3]
  • Three of the stabbings took place on Sunday, while the other five came on Monday. Three victims have been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, including a 32-year-old mother who was with her child when she was attacked.[4][5]
  • Meanwhile, the detainees were charged with a range of crimes, including assaulting officers, possessing offensive weapons, possessing class A and class B drugs, and committing sexual offenses, theft, and robbery.[6]
  • This year, nearly 7K officers were deployed to secure the event and given extra stop and search powers per a Section 60 order. The total number of stabbings is less than last year's event, where 10 people were stabbed and 275 were arrested.[7][8]
  • Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who is in charge of the policing operation, said: 'We are tired of saying the same words every year. We are tired of telling families that their loved ones are seriously injured, or worse. We are tired of seeing crime scenes at Carnival.'[6]

Sources: [1]BBC News (a), [2]Sky News, [3]Reuters, [4]BBC News (b), [5]The Telegraph, [6]Mynewsdesk, [7]Police and [8]Evening Standard.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Sky News. Notting Hill Carnival is supposed to be a community event — but every year, it's marred by unacceptable levels of violence. Police shouldn't have to repeat the same message every year. Organizers need to do more to tackle the criminality or the future of the event could be put at risk.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Spectator (UK). Notting Hill Carnival is attended by more than 1M people and the shameful actions of a small minority shouldn't tarnish its whole image. Similar levels of crime are committed at Glastonbury Festival — predominantly attended by middle-class white people — but no one calls for that event to be shut down.

Predictions