Henry Bolton OBE has called for serious questions to be asked about the future of Notting Hill Carnival after two were confirmed dead from separate stabbings.
It was confirmed earlier that a mother and a chef who worked under Gordon Ramsay both died after they were attacked during the festival.
Cher Maximen, 32, was with her three-year-old daughter and other family and friends on Sunday, when she was stabbed in the groin in broad daylight after she tried to intervene in a fight.
Mussie Imnetu, 41, a chef, was found unconscious with a head injury outside the Dr Power restaurant in Queensway at about 11.22pm on Monday.
Henry Bolton wants a serious conversation about Notting Hill's future
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On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said both had died from their injuries.
Speaking on GB News, Bolton demanded a “grown up conversation” about the future of the festival after a spate of criminal activity.
PA
“There has to be a serious, grown up and frank conversation about the Carnival”, he said.
“For many years now, it has been difficult to police. One of the fundamental principles of the police being able to provide security for the public going about its business is for it to acknowledge the cause of risks to public safety.
“To have a totally honest, transparent conversation about it. If you don’t, you will never design the right solutions to it.
“I have to say - it’s in the conversation of two-tier policing. I don’t care who is responsible for knife crime, car thefts or whatever. If it is criminal activity, it is criminal activity. If you are guilty of that, you need to feel the full weight of the law.”
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He added: “This is not how a family a weekend out should be. We need a conversation about this.”
Political commentator Benjamin Butterworth waded in on the discussion to argue the the festival’s criminal activity is not “out of proportion” when considering the number of people who attend the event.
“It’s a tragedy. The daughter of the woman who died saw her being stabbed reportedly, that’s incredibly tragic”, he said.
“These aren’t new questions. You have to take into account the scale of it. Some of the stabbings and drug dealings, in a city the size of London, it’s not completely out of proportion.
“I would say I have never been to Notting Hill Carnival. I have been to Manchester’s Pride festival and it is incredibly busy. I have never seen so much as a fight.”
