This day in history | 1976 Notting Hill Carnival ends in riot

More than 100 police officers had to be taken to hospital after clashes at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London.
Most were released after treatment but at least 26 have been detained overnight for observation or further treatment.
Around 60 carnival-goers also needed hospital treatment after the clashes which led to the arrest of at least 66 people.
The trouble is believed to have started after police tried to arrest a pickpocket near Portobello Road on the main carnival route.
Several black youths went to the pickpocket’s aid and within minutes the disturbance escalated.
The police were attacked with stones and other missiles.
They armed themselves with dustbin lids, milk crates and wire fencing and charged the rioters.
At one stage a group of black youths were seen moving up Westbourne Park road smashing windows.
Gangs of white youths were also said to have been involved in the violence.
One witness, Raymond Hunter, who lives in Westbourne Park Road said he saw a police van set alight.
“The two policemen managed to get out of the van and fled. The gang then turned the van over and set fire to it,” Mr Hunter said.
The disturbances effectively put an end to the annual celebration of Caribbean culture.
Police sealed off roads and closed pubs in the area as well as shutting down Ladbroke Grove underground station in an attempt to contain the violence.
In the past, the carnival – now in its 10th year – has been largely peaceful in spite of tensions with police.
A member of the Notting Hill Carnival Development Committee, Selwyn Baptiste, said they had been optimistic after the first day of the festival passed off peacefully.
“We had no reason to suppose it would be any different today. This was supposed to be about fun and love – not violence,” Mr Baptiste said.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

This was the third of the ‘Cod Wars’ that took place between Britain and Iceland over their fishing rights in the Atlantic. The first was in 1958 and the second ran from 1972 to 1973.
Britain deployed a total of 22 frigates against 16 Icelandic vessels. There were numerous skirmishes and Iceland threatened to close the Nato base at Keflavik. The US offered to mediate but it was Nato that negotiated an agreement on 6th June 1976.
Under this treaty Britain was limited to using 24 trawlers within a 200 mile zone at any one time for an annual catch of up to 50,000 tonnes.
Iceland claimed that it was economically dependent on fishing, but fish from the Atlantic were worth £23.1m to the UK and the new restrictions caused 8000 jobs to be lost.
The number of cod has continued to decline and there have been calls for a total ban on cod fishing in the North Sea.