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| Notting Hill carnival is unsafe. But, like Grenfell, authorities ignore the warnings | Notting Hill carnival is unsafe. But, like Grenfell, authorities ignore the warnings |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| Fri 25 Aug 2017 17.51 BST | |
| Last modified on Thu 21 Sep 2017 00.23 BST | |
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| As people swing and sway at this weekend’s Notting Hill carnival in London, it’s worth thinking about the critical failures of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) to adhere to even the most basic principles of health and safety in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire. Questions arise as to whether that same culture of cost-cutting, incompetence and flagrant disdain for the safety of the poor has had any impact on the levels of public safety standards at Britain’s most popular cultural event. | As people swing and sway at this weekend’s Notting Hill carnival in London, it’s worth thinking about the critical failures of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) to adhere to even the most basic principles of health and safety in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire. Questions arise as to whether that same culture of cost-cutting, incompetence and flagrant disdain for the safety of the poor has had any impact on the levels of public safety standards at Britain’s most popular cultural event. |
| Let just remind ourselves of what carnival now represents. There can be no doubt that it has helped London achieve its world city status. It stands alongside other global festivals such as the New Orleans Mardi Gras, Brazil’s Rio carnival, Toronto’s International Carnival and New York’s Labour Day parade. It has helped define our capital city as open, inclusive and progressive. Carnival helped the UK win the 2012 Olympic games, for instance. | Let just remind ourselves of what carnival now represents. There can be no doubt that it has helped London achieve its world city status. It stands alongside other global festivals such as the New Orleans Mardi Gras, Brazil’s Rio carnival, Toronto’s International Carnival and New York’s Labour Day parade. It has helped define our capital city as open, inclusive and progressive. Carnival helped the UK win the 2012 Olympic games, for instance. |
| What about the soul of carnival? For me it’s important to remember its roots as a celebration of black freedom, an event whose origins go back to the one-day annual “holiday” enslaved Africans were given off from working on massa’s slave plantation. | What about the soul of carnival? For me it’s important to remember its roots as a celebration of black freedom, an event whose origins go back to the one-day annual “holiday” enslaved Africans were given off from working on massa’s slave plantation. |
| After emancipation, the carnival became an essential component of the African diaspora’s cultural repertoire. In the UK, it was the west London Trinidadian community, led by local activist Claudia Jones who, responding to the racist murder of Kelso Cochrane, was a key figure in bringing the unifying power of carnival on to the streets of Britain. Since 1959 we’ve seen it become the most successful, popular and contentious cultural event in Europe. | After emancipation, the carnival became an essential component of the African diaspora’s cultural repertoire. In the UK, it was the west London Trinidadian community, led by local activist Claudia Jones who, responding to the racist murder of Kelso Cochrane, was a key figure in bringing the unifying power of carnival on to the streets of Britain. Since 1959 we’ve seen it become the most successful, popular and contentious cultural event in Europe. |
| Once I became policing director for London in 2000, I immediately embarked on a mission to tackle the gross overcrowding and underfunding of carnival. As chair of the London mayor’s carnival review, I consulted with carnivalists and local stakeholders on how best to improve public safety and reduce dangerous levels of crowd density. | Once I became policing director for London in 2000, I immediately embarked on a mission to tackle the gross overcrowding and underfunding of carnival. As chair of the London mayor’s carnival review, I consulted with carnivalists and local stakeholders on how best to improve public safety and reduce dangerous levels of crowd density. |
| In June 2004, after three years of consultation and detailed work, we published Notting Hill Carnival: A Strategic Review, the most detailed report on the event ever. It was our legal counsel’s view that ultimately, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Metropolitan police, whatever their protestations, bore the statutory responsibility for public safety, not the carnival organising committee. | In June 2004, after three years of consultation and detailed work, we published Notting Hill Carnival: A Strategic Review, the most detailed report on the event ever. It was our legal counsel’s view that ultimately, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Metropolitan police, whatever their protestations, bore the statutory responsibility for public safety, not the carnival organising committee. |
| The project also found that the route (still in use today) was unable to provide the level of flexibility required to safely accommodate the carnival’s future growth. The average attendance growth of carnival year on year was about 5%. | The project also found that the route (still in use today) was unable to provide the level of flexibility required to safely accommodate the carnival’s future growth. The average attendance growth of carnival year on year was about 5%. |
| Given that visitor numbers cannot be controlled at a free and open event such as the Notting Hill carnival, the review group found that the critical weakness of the decision-making and planning process lay in its failure to plan for growth. That was true in 2004 and remains true today. | Given that visitor numbers cannot be controlled at a free and open event such as the Notting Hill carnival, the review group found that the critical weakness of the decision-making and planning process lay in its failure to plan for growth. That was true in 2004 and remains true today. |
| In effect RBKC and the Met are rolling the dice every year by sanctioning a public event that they know to be unsafe | In effect RBKC and the Met are rolling the dice every year by sanctioning a public event that they know to be unsafe |
| I’ve often wondered, in the years since our report was published, who in the event of a catastrophic crushing at carnival (the most likely high-risk scenario), would be held legally responsible for public safety? In my mind there is no doubt that the major responsibilities will lie with RBKC, the Met police and the London mayor’s office. In the light of the Grenfell and Hillsborough tragedies, the issue of public safety has risen up the public and political agenda. The fact that over the last decade these three institutions have consistently fudged the question of carnival public safety has very likely put Londoners’ lives at risk. Cramming people into a tightly confined space and making the experience as unpleasant as possible, with few toilet facilities, no recycling, no adequate transport facilities – presumably in the forlorn hope they don’t come back – is simply not acceptable. | I’ve often wondered, in the years since our report was published, who in the event of a catastrophic crushing at carnival (the most likely high-risk scenario), would be held legally responsible for public safety? In my mind there is no doubt that the major responsibilities will lie with RBKC, the Met police and the London mayor’s office. In the light of the Grenfell and Hillsborough tragedies, the issue of public safety has risen up the public and political agenda. The fact that over the last decade these three institutions have consistently fudged the question of carnival public safety has very likely put Londoners’ lives at risk. Cramming people into a tightly confined space and making the experience as unpleasant as possible, with few toilet facilities, no recycling, no adequate transport facilities – presumably in the forlorn hope they don’t come back – is simply not acceptable. |
| In November 2016 Met commander Dave Musker told the London assembly police and crime committee: “Each year … we come exceptionally close to a major catastrophic failure of public safety where members of the public will suffer serious injury.” A London assembly report published in January echoed the concerns we expressed about public safety some 13 years earlier. | In November 2016 Met commander Dave Musker told the London assembly police and crime committee: “Each year … we come exceptionally close to a major catastrophic failure of public safety where members of the public will suffer serious injury.” A London assembly report published in January echoed the concerns we expressed about public safety some 13 years earlier. |
| No one wants take the responsibility, but the law is clear in my view. Either you ensure that public safety issues are addressed, or if you sanction a public event knowing the organisers cannot meet their licensing and public safety requirements, that responsibility by default falls to you, the licensing authorities. In effect RBKC and the Met are rolling the dice every year by sanctioning a public event that they know to be unsafe. | No one wants take the responsibility, but the law is clear in my view. Either you ensure that public safety issues are addressed, or if you sanction a public event knowing the organisers cannot meet their licensing and public safety requirements, that responsibility by default falls to you, the licensing authorities. In effect RBKC and the Met are rolling the dice every year by sanctioning a public event that they know to be unsafe. |
| Reading the latest London assembly carnival report is in many ways a similar experience to reading the prescient warnings of Grenfell Action Group when they complained they were not being listened to in relation to fire safety, tragically predicting that only a catastrophic fire would force people to take notice. | Reading the latest London assembly carnival report is in many ways a similar experience to reading the prescient warnings of Grenfell Action Group when they complained they were not being listened to in relation to fire safety, tragically predicting that only a catastrophic fire would force people to take notice. |
| Historically, the Met has tended to detest the carnival, despising the event, having little regard for the organisers. It sometimes seems they would do anything to remove themselves from having to police it in such large numbers. As a result they often police it with a bad attitude. As with Grenfell Tower, RBKC’s approach to public safety at carnival bears all the hallmarks of their routine and malicious disregard for pubic safety, particularly when those in need of protection are black and poor. | Historically, the Met has tended to detest the carnival, despising the event, having little regard for the organisers. It sometimes seems they would do anything to remove themselves from having to police it in such large numbers. As a result they often police it with a bad attitude. As with Grenfell Tower, RBKC’s approach to public safety at carnival bears all the hallmarks of their routine and malicious disregard for pubic safety, particularly when those in need of protection are black and poor. |
| • Lee Jasper chairs the London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium, and is a former policing director for the Greater London Authority | • Lee Jasper chairs the London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium, and is a former policing director for the Greater London Authority |
| Notting Hill carnival | |
| Opinion | |
| Metropolitan police | |
| Grenfell Tower fire | |
| Festivals | |
| London | |
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