This weekend marks the 33rd anniversary of the Notting Hill Carnival/riot of 1976. For Clash fans this also marks 33 years since the inspiration for Joe Strummer writing the lyrics to White Riot. He and Paul Simonon spent bank holiday Monday at the Carnival and the warm summer of ’76 was just one part of the recipe that led to a full scale riot on the streets of West London that afternoon. Race relations in London were a long way from where they are today and even though Britain is far from where it should be (see Bradford for a recent example) London is not, I’m happy to say the racially charged city it once was. The ‘sus’ law of the mid 70′s allowed the police to stop and detain anyone if ‘suspected’ of planning something criminal and tensions built all weekend. Young British Blacks were targeted and animosity was running high, a huge police prescense all weekend spilled into violent clashes that resulted in more than 100 police officers hurt, many more members of the public and related violence, looting and destruction. Strummer was so impacted by what he and Paul saw that White Riot was written that same week.

Black man gotta lot a problems
But they don’t mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick

An’ everybody’s doing
Just what they’re told to
An’ nobody wants
To go to jail!

A famous photograph from that weekend was used later by The Clash on the sleeve of Black Market Clash – a slim young Rastafarian walks alone toward a huge line of Police, the man in that image was of course Don Letts.  Letts is interviewed in today’s London Evening Standard about the carnival, how it has changed and the new and different (but so similar) challenges faced by immigrants today. Letts is such a talented cultural observer and of course is also launching his new film Carnival to coincide with this weekend. An insightful interview and definitely worth your time.

Arsenal – Man Utd tomorrow….come on you Gunners!!