People stabbed, police assaulted at Notting Hill Carnival in London

At least three people were stabbed during the opening day of the Notting Hill Carnival in London on Sunday, with one still listed in life-threatening condition, according to the city’s police.

The London Metropolitan Police Service said on X it was aware of three stabbings, one of which involved a 32-year-old woman who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Also stabbed was a 29-year-old man and a 24-year-old man, the former of whom was listed in non-life-threatening condition. Police were waiting on the condition of the 24-year-old at the time of the post.

“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.”

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Police said 15 officers were assaulted when things turned violent, though none of the officers sustained serious injuries.

Police made 90 arrests for various offenses.

Ten people were arrested for assaulting emergency workers, 18 for possession of an offensive weapon, four for sexual offenses, one for theft, four for robbery, six for assault, one for public order offense, eight for possession of drugs with distribution intent, and 30 for possession of drugs – four arrests of which were for possession of nitrous oxide.

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A participant wears a colorful costume on the first day of the Notting Hill Carnival in London during last year’s festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Ahead of the carnival, police announced they had been authorized to order the removal of face coverings being used to conceal a person’s identity. Anyone refusing the order, police said, could be arrested.

The Notting Hill Carnival attracts hundreds of thousands of revelers each year, who pack the streets of west London for two days, during one of the world’s biggest celebrations of Caribbean music and culture.

This year, the festivities take place Aug. 25-26.

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The London Ambulance Service posted a picture on social media of crew members walking around the Notting Hill Carnival in west London. (London Ambulance Service)

The carnival traces its history back to 1958, when Trinidadian human rights activist Claudia Jones began organizing 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, it has grown into a huge annual street party involving colorful floats, thousands of calypso dancers in spectacular feathered costumes, almost 20 steel bands and more than two dozen sound systems.

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The carnival returned to the neighborhood’s narrow streets in 2022 after two years when it had to be held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.