評論
打印
Britain
英國板塊
Public spaces
公共空間
Parks and recriminations
公園和指責
Youngsters take over London's fanciest parks, to the displeasure of locals
年輕人接管了倫敦最豪華的公園，這讓當地人很不高興
Hampstead heath is home to many fine creatures. Purse web spiders, green woodpeckers, brimstone butterflies and kestrels have all found peace in the oddity that is London's 790-acre moorland. They roam happily alongside a near-mythical tribe: north London's metropolitan elite. But the current chieftain, Marc Hutchinson, a solicitor and chair of the Heath & Hampstead Society, is unhappy with the heath's most recent arrivals: drunken young people.
漢普特斯西斯公園是許多美麗生靈的家園。錢包蜘蛛、綠啄木鳥、硫黃蝶和茶隼都在倫敦這片790英畝的沼澤地里找到了平靜。它們和一個近乎神話般的部落——倫敦北部的都市精英們——一起快樂地漫著步。但是現任“酋長”，西斯與漢普特斯協會主席兼律師馬克·哈欽森對西斯協會最近的新成員——醉醺醺的年輕人感到不滿。
When covid struck last spring, open spaces across Britain were flooded with youngsters looking for somewhere to socialise. The habit has stuck, much to the annoyance of regular parkgoers. Local newspapers are filled with complaints about anti-social behaviour spoiling beauty spots. In most places, locals are powerless. Not so in London's most expensive neighbourhoods.
去年春天新冠疫情爆發時，英國各地的空地上擠滿了尋找社交場所的年輕人。這個習慣就此延續了下來，讓經常去公園的人很是惱火。當地報紙充斥著對破壞風景區的反社會行為的抱怨。大多數地方的當地人對此都無能為力，但在倫敦最昂貴的社區卻并非如此。
Battle lines were first drawn in Primrose Hill, where residents say they were besieged by raves, fireworks, knife crime and "drug cars". Their solution was to lock the park at night. Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader and a local MP, offered support. The Royal Parks, a charity, forked out for nine-foot aluminium gates, which locals now want to make permanent. That is not an option in Hampstead Heath, where enclosure has been banned since 1871. Instead, councillors want to cut the number of nearby alcohol licenses. Not all local firms are opposed. "Less businesses means more customers," reckons a newsagent.
戰線首先在櫻草花山拉開，當地居民稱他們被狂歡、煙火、持刀犯罪和“毒品車”所包圍。他們的解決辦法是晚上給公園上鎖。工黨領袖兼當地議員基爾·斯塔默爵士對此表示支持。皇家公園是一家慈善機構，它出資購買了一個9英尺高的鋁制大門，而當地人現在希望將其永久保留下來。在漢普特斯西斯公園這是不可能的，因為從1871年起就禁止圈地。相反，議員們希望削減附近的酒類執照數量。并不是所有的當地公司都反對。“生意越少，顧客就越多，”一家報刊經銷商認為。
Oliver Cooper, the leader of the Tories on Camden council, supports the measures, arguing that party animals put off other park-goers. Mr Hutchinson now has new targets in his sights. Ancient tree roots are being damaged by an increase in visitors, he says, with numbers up from roughly 9m in 2019 to 17m in the past year. Commercial dog walkers will soon be limited by licenses, of which there will be 40, and the number of dogs they will be able to walk at once will be capped at four.
卡姆登議會保守黨領袖奧利弗·庫珀支持這些措施，他認為派對動物會讓其他公園游客望而卻步。哈欽森現在又有了新的目標。他表示，游客數量從2019年的約900萬增至去年的1700萬，古樹的根正因游客數量的增加而受到破壞。專業遛狗人士不久將受到許可證的限制，他們一次遛的狗的數量將從40只減少至4只。
Amy McKeown, a mental-health strategist campaigning to remove the gates in Primrose Hill, says claims of unpleasant behaviour are overstated. Official data show knife-crime injuries in the area fell from 16 in 2019 to 7 in 2020. Martin Fisher, a psychotherapist who lives in the area, says an online residents' forum has become filled with accusations that party-goers are "knife-wielding yobs", "scum" and "poor people coming from undesirable areas." He argues that phrases such as "those awful people, in their awful cars, playing their awful music" are racist euphemisms. Recriminations show little sign of ending soon. "It's like Brexit," sighs Mr Fisher. "It has polarised the community."
艾米·麥基翁是一名精神健康戰略家，她表示有關不愉快行為的說法言過其實，致力于拆除櫻草山的大門。官方數據顯示，該地區持刀犯罪受傷人數從2019年的16人降至2020年的7人。住在該地區的心理治療師馬丁·費希爾表示，一個在線居民論壇上充斥著對參加派對的人的指責，稱他們都是“持刀的暴徒”、“人渣”和“來自不受歡迎地區的窮人”。他認為像“那些糟糕的人，開著糟糕的車，播放著糟糕的音樂”這樣的說法是種族主義的一種委婉說法。相互指責并沒有很快結束的跡象。“這就像英國脫歐。”費希爾嘆息道。“導致了社區的兩極分化。”
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