Organisers have urged the government to step in to protect the future of Notting Hill Carnival as they mark Windrush Day.
The west London carnival is in jeopardy, its chairman Ian Comfort said in a letter leaked to the BBC on Wednesday, in which he asked Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to provide “urgent funding” for public safety measures.
While the government acknowledged the significance of the event, it stopped short of offering financial backing and urged organisers to work with local authorities and the police.
Jacqueline McKenzie, a campaigner and human rights lawyer who helped victims of the Windrush scandal, said the carnival held “huge national and international significance”.
“The government needs to recognise this and act urgently to protect it,” Ms McKenzie said.
By the late 1950s, Notting Hill had became home to many people from the Caribbean who arrived in Britain on HMT Empire Windrush and accompanying ships, and the carnival was founded by pioneers of that generation.
Ms McKenzie said the carnival being at risk “adds insult to injury” for victims of the Windrush scandal, in which thousands of British people, mainly of Caribbean origin, were wrongly classed as illegal immigrants.
Many were deported while others faced difficulty securing work, accessing healthcare or housing.
“It should not be lost on us that these funding concerns coincide with Windrush Day on Sunday,” she said.
