London’s Metropolitan Police have belatedly released video of a “vicious” attack on a 19-year-old young woman at Notting Hill Carnival in an effort to track down the perpetrators.
The video footage, published on the Metropolitan Police website but not, curiously, the force’s social media pages, where they would have a better chance of being seen by a large number of people, shows a mob of mostly or exclusively black people attacking a pixelated but seemingly lighter-skinned victim on the street at the multicultural carnival, which was returning from a long hiatus occasioned by the Wuhan virus pandemic.
The Met’s appeal for information said the teenager was “struck in the head with a gas canister and then kicked and punched to the ground” “at around 19:05hrs on Monday, 29 August” — why they are releasing the footage only now was not explained — in a totally unprovoked attack by some men who had previously been engaged in a brawl.
“The victim was left very seriously injured in hospital following this incident – although she has been discharged she continues to need treatment for the injuries she sustained,” commented Detective Constable Sam Packer.
“She is a completely innocent member of the public who was attacked without provocation or warning by people who were intent on causing violence,” the investigator added.
“If you were there and saw what happened, or have footage that could help us identify those responsible, please do the right thing and contact us immediately,” he urged.
Notting Hill Carnival was marked by some particularly egregious outbreaks of violence on its return in 2022, with one person stabbed to death and two policewomen sexually assaulted, among other incidents.
Met leaders have claimed the carnival “is a great event to police”, but the Metropolitan Police Federation, a union-like body representing actual rank and file officers, very much disagrees, and has called for it to be scrapped.
“Every year we argue that this event should not take place but we are not listened to,” complained Ken Marsh, who leads the federation.
“There were 11,000 officers on duty [this year]. For lots of them, this was their first experience of policing the carnival and they have been left extremely shocked by what they have seen and been subjected to,” he added.
Nevertheless, London mayor Sadiq Khan, of the leftist Labour Party, described the carnival’s “vibes” as “immaculate”.
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