Performers in costume take part in the carnival on the main Parade day of the Notting Hill Carnival in west London on August 29, 2022. - London's Notting Hill carnival celebrates Caribbean culture, at a carnival considered the largest street demonstration in Europe. (Photo by Susannah Ireland / AFP)
London’s Notting Hill Carnival was marred by the murder of a young rapper and hundreds of arrests, police said on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old man died after being stabbed on Monday, the latest in a wave of knife-crime incidents in the British capital this year that have sparked growing concern.
The victim was later identified as a rapper from Bristol, western England, who performed under the name TKorStretch.
“He came from Bristol to simply have a good time at the London carnival and this is the end result,” his manager Chris Patrick wrote on Instagram.
“TK was a good kid, a good guy and what has happened breaks my heart,” he added.
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Monday, the final day of the carnival, to reports of a stabbing in Ladbroke Grove and administered emergency first aid.
“He was taken to a west London hospital where, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead,” the force added.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “sickened” by the stabbing. “Violence has no place on our streets and we are doing everything in our power to root it out,” he added.
London police recorded 11,122 knife-crime offences in the year until March 2022, a 9.8 percent increase compared to last year, according to official figures.
At the carnival, officers made 209 arrests, including 46 for assault, 33 for possession of an offensive weapon and eight sexual assaults, said the force.
Alison Heydari, Commander of Local Policing, said early on Tuesday that “the atmosphere over the past two days has been largely positive” but that on Monday evening “we saw a number of violent incidents”.
The Notting Hill Carnival — one of the world’s largest street festivals — was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The three-day celebration of British-Caribbean culture traces its roots back 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 celebration held over the August bank holiday weekend.
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