"London carnival opens with few problems" August 29, 2011|Associated Press
LONDON - The Notting Hill Carnival, Europe’s largest street festival, has begun successfully with few problems reported yesterday.
The festival closed before dark this year to discourage any repetition of the riots and looting that erupted in London and other cities earlier in the month.
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Police described the opening day of the two-day festival as peaceful and reported 33 arrests, including six for assault and one for an offensive weapon. Drunkenness and disorder usually result in a few hundred arrests each year....
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So what happened?
"Police toughen search tactics at UK carnival" by Associated Press / August 30, 2011
LONDON - British police flooded part of London with extra officers and authorized the use of tough search powers yesterday at the Notting Hill Carnival, Europe’s largest street festival, following riots across England earlier this month.
London’s Metropolitan Police said it had invoked extensive search powers that allow officers to stop people - and order them to remove hoods, masks, or other disguises - if they suspect a possibility of serious violence in a specific neighborhood....
The carnival, launched in 1964, celebrates Caribbean culture, attracting about 1 million people with its mix of flamboyant dancers, colorful costumes, rousing steel bands, and booming outdoor sound systems....
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"Protesters defy ban, clash with police
LONDON - Ignoring a government ban on marches in London, hundreds of far-right activists held a protest yesterday and some clashed with police. It was the first large-scale protest in London since riots shook it and other major British cities last month. About 1,000 people believed to be English Defense League members held a so-called “static demonstration’’ in Tower Hamlets, a poor area with a large immigrant population. About 1,500 who oppose the group led a counter-demonstration."
Related: Brief British Protest Coverage
Also see: Murdoch’s UK papers review standards
