The Metropolitan Police faced a backlash on Tuesday after it tweeted to link a drugs crackdown in south London with this weekend’s Notting Hill Carnival - with critics finding very little in common between the two events.
In the morning, the Met announced officers had seized a kilo of uncut heroin in Catford, saying: “In the run up to the #NottingHillCarnival, officers have this morning seized what is believed to be a kilo of uncut heroin in #Catford.”
Many, including grime artist Stormzy, questioned why and how police were linking the raids to the iconic street festival.
Not only is Catford 12 miles away from Notting Hill, but heroin is not generally considered the drug of choice for an upbeat party.
In a follow-up series of tweets, the Met moved to make clear the raid in Catford was part of a wider series of raids.
The force made more than 26 arrests, predominantly for possession with intent to supply drugs, after raiding dozens of homes across south and west London with the aim of ensuring the “safety of the weekend”.
But it had already prompted many on social media to mock the UK’s largest police force ...
And it generated a meme, fuelled in its early stages by rapper Professor Green, with people making public surreal and trivial events that have happened “in the run up to #nottinghillcarnival ...” that are as equally unrelated to the carnival.