The Mayor of London has called for the ‘true spirit of London shine through’ during the
Notting Hill Carnival this Bank Holiday weekend, to help heal the bad memories caused by
the riots earlier this month.
Boris Johnson has reached out to Londoners to ‘celebrate our vibrant, diverse and
historical culture’ during Europe’s biggest street festival. The Major has warned that
anyone suspected of inciting violence this weekend will be seized by police.
The streets of the capital will be patrolled by over 10,000 officers to prevent the civil
disorder that destroyed homes and businesses 2 weeks ago.
Organisers of the Notting Hill Carnival today said that the festival was an opportunity
to ‘heal a nation’ after the worst street violence in living memory. Mr Johnson added that
London needs to prove that it can stage large events peacefully ahead of the Olympics in
2012.
The Mayor told The Evening Standard: ‘It’s right that carnival goes ahead so we can show
the world that the overwhelming majority of London’s people are decent, law-abiding
citizens who respect the law, love their city and want to celebrate our vibrant, diverse and
historical culture.
‘The police will be out in force all weekend and their intention, quite rightly, is to be robust
with anyone who does not appreciate that this great event and annual celebration of our
city is a chance to let the true spirit of London shine through. They will not be able to sour
the end of our summer.’
22 boroughs across the capital were affected during the four days of rioting earlier this
month, leaving repair bills totalling tens of millions of pounds.
