London carnival finale peaceful despite riot fears

Huge crowds of revellers partied in the streets of London Monday at the finale of the Notting Hill Carnival, with little sign of trouble despite fears of fresh riots at Europe's biggest street festival.

The second day of festivities passed largely peacefully with 6,500 police officers, the biggest number in recent years at the Caribbean-themed extravaganza, on duty as spectators watched Samba-style dancers perform on floats.

"It's wonderful, there hasn't been any trouble," Francesca, 42, from French Guiana, told AFP.

"We were a bit frightened because of the riots but it is very safe, we are having a great time."

Monday, a public holiday, is the second and busiest day of the two-day festival which attracts around a million people, and there were fears gangs could hijack the event and go on the rampage in a repeat of this month's riots.

The frenzy of violence, which erupted in the north London district of Tottenham on August 6 before spreading across the capital and to other cities, were the worst riots in England since the 1980s and left five people dead.

One man was in a serious condition after being found in Labroke Grove late Monday with stab wounds to his abdomen and hand, but police said they were happy with the event's overall mood.

"We are very pleased," police spokesman Steve Rodhouse told BBC television. "It's a great event for London. We want to showcase London to the world but equally we want to keep it safe."

Nevertheless, he added that police would remain vigilant as there were gangs at the carnival intent on causing trouble.

Despite the stabbing, arrest figures were relatively low, with 88 detained on Monday and 82 the previous day for offences ranging from possession of drugs to theft and possession of weapons, police said.

Cloudy weather did not deter hordes of party-goers from flooding the streets to cheer on dozens of floats and shimmering dancers in feathers parading through the west London neighbourhood.

Revellers milled between the stalls and thumping sound systems, drinking, dancing, and tasting jerk chicken as the smells of open-cooked Caribbean food wafted through the air.

"It's a really good vibe, everyone's enjoying themselves," said Oliver Prennan, a 22-year-old student.

If the carnival is entirely peaceful, it would be a huge relief for organisers. Coming just three weeks after the riots and with a reputation as a magnet for troublemakers, many had feared this year's event would be axed.

But organisers refused to admit defeat, especially because the carnival was originally a positive response to rioting.

It was founded in 1964 following the disturbances in Notting Hill six years earlier that saw clashes between whites and newly arrived immigrants from the West Indies.

London mayor Boris Johnson said he was determined to make sure the party went ahead.

"I thought it was very important," he said. "Obviously there was quite a few people who wrote to me saying 'for heaven's sake, scrap it'.

"But we said 'no, that would be wrong, because that would be an admission of defeat after what happened earlier in the month'."

Police chiefs and organisers came to an agreement to allow the festival to go ahead -- including closing early at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) to allow revellers to disperse before darkness falls.