LONDON: Eight people were stabbed, and police arrested hundreds during last weekend’s Notting Hill Carnival, one of the world’s largest street festivals held annually in West London. Updating on their policing operation late Monday, the capital’s Metropolitan Police said five people were stabbed on the final day of the world-renowned three-day celebration of British Afro-Caribbean identity.

That followed three knifings on Sunday, with three of the victims of the violence over the long weekend left in life-threatening condition, the force said. Officers made at least 230 arrests on Monday, including 49 for possession of an offensive weapon, on top of scores of arrests the previous day. Three firearms were seized, and 35 officers were also injured during the event, which attracts around a million people annually over the August bank holiday weekend.

The policing numbers were similar to last year when there were 10 stabbings and around 300 arrests. Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed the streets of West London for the carnival, filling the Notting Hill neighborhood and surrounding districts with color, costumes, dancing, and music. Around 7,000 officers were on duty for the event, which has repeatedly been marred by violence, particularly knife crime, but is enjoyed incident-free by the vast majority.

However, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan said he was “tired of saying the same words every year” after a woman attending the carnival with her child was among those stabbed. “We only very narrowly avoided a fatality,” he added, urging carnival-goers to report any crimes they witness. The celebration of British Afro-Caribbean culture traces its roots back to the 1950s after the first surge in arrivals from former British colonies post-World War II. Feathered dancers, steel bands, and earth-shaking sound systems feature in the vibrant yearly event. — AFP