A meeting to discuss the future of Notting Hill Carnival descended into chaos as angry residents voiced safety concerns for their children but united against suggestions it should be moved to a different location.
Notting Hill Carnival organisers Carnival Village Trust on Wednesday held a post-event residents meeting to discuss the future of the festival, which saw multiple arrests, non-fatal stabbings, and attacks on police officers including one female PC who was sexually assaulted, this year.
Attendees criticised the meeting, held at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill, as a “tick box exercise”, presided over by “condescending” representatives, according to a report by MailOnline.
They raised concerns about “another Grenfell” as housing associations complained they had been locked in during the course of the carnival.
The meeting also heard from the mother of a stabbing victim, while another woman said she was scared for her 13-year-old daughter’s well-being, urging officials to “work with us” to safeguard the community during the carnival.
However, the suggestion that Notting Hill Carnival be moved to a different location, such as nearby Hyde Park, was met with a 40-second-long chorus of boos and “No!” and “Never!” as the chief of the Carnival Village Trust Matthew Phillip tried to control the crowd.
Eight people were stabbed at the festival in Notting Hill – the highest number of stabbings since 2016 – as prime minister Rishi Sunak said the violence demonstrated the need to crack down on knife crime in the UK.
Carnival attendees were tormented by a hooded figure who was spotted wielding a foot-long machete, while another person was seen raising a so-called “zombie knife” in the air.
Police arrested 308 people over the two-day carnival, for a range of offences including possession of offensive weapons, assaults on police officers, possession of drugs and sexual offences during the carnival.
A female PC was sexually assaulted during the carnival as large crowds gathered for the carnival on 28 August, as the Met Police released CCTV footage of two suspects who allegedly assaulted the officer from behind.
During the meeting on Wednesday, housing associations described how one road was left with locks on all its gates, with just one security guard between them.
“If there had been a fire, what would have happened and what would be your response to that if someone died?’ one person asked a representative for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, its Director of Cleaner, Greener and Cultural Services Terry Oliver.
“Another Grenfell” came the chilling response from another attendee, referring to the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 that left 72 people dead.
The mother of a man who was stabbed at Notting Hill Carnival this year spoke to the gathering, explaining how her son was attacked by a “group of young people wearing masks” on 28 August.
“How did you allow him to go home on his own – no safety, no support, nothing. He is very lucky to be here,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.
Carnival goers stand next to police officers— (EPA)
As the meeting progressed, Mr Phillip was forced to defend claims the trust earns £100m from the carnival each year, calling the claims “nonsense”.
Separately, he warned that the meeting was “getting into chaos”, asking: “Are we going to do something constructive or not?”
One of the residents told Mr Phillip his behaviour was “condescending” and disrespectful to the attendees, adding: “This is a meeting that we have every year. The negativity that you started with to me was not very respectful to the residents and to the people who turned up to this meeting.
“This is clearly a tick box exercise. All of these residents should be as angry as they are if this is the way you treat them year in, year out.”
In a statement to The Independent, the organisers said the local community “overwhelmingly” support the festival “and its place on the streets of Notting Hill”.
They said: “As we do every year, we welcome the feedback, suggestions and discussion at the meetings we had with the local residents both before and after Notting Hill Carnival.
“It is an invaluable process in helping us to shape the event to ensure residents enjoy a positive experience.
“There are many challenges when organising an event of this scale, from the feedback we receive from these regular meetings it helps us address these issues and work toward a resolution in forthcoming years.
“Overall, the local community and residents overwhelmingly support Carnival and its place on the streets of Notting Hill, as was demonstrated at last night’s meeting.
“The calls for the event to be moved from its home are from a very small minority. We welcome their feedback but their suggestions do not represent the vast majority of those who attend, the local residents, us as organisers, the local councils, GLA or our partners in the emergency services.
“The Notting Hill Carnival belongs on the streets of Notting Hill and moving it will not eliminate the issues our community suffered this year.
“We in no way condone what happened, these actions are not because of Carnival, there were 12,786 knife offences carried out in London alone over the 12 months to March 2023… this is not acceptable ever!”
