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 OFFLINE | Ice hockey fans riot in Vancouver as Canucks lose Stanley Cup final
Police fire teargas and stun grenades as Canucks fans torch cars and smash shop windows after defeat to Boston Bruins
Violence erupted in Vancouver on Wednesday night after the city's ice hockey team lost in the final of the north American championship, the Stanley Cup.
Angry, drunken Vancouver Canucks fans took to the streets, setting cars and rubbish bins ablaze, smashing windows, showering giant TV screens with beer bottles, dancing atop overturned vehicles and looting shops. Two police cars were trashed.
Police responded with teargas, the first time it has been used by city officers since riots in 1994 – also sparked by a Canucks defeat, according to the Globe and Mail.
Police also used pepper spray and flash-bangs – non-lethal stun grenades – but struggled to contain the crowds. More than 100,000 supporters had gathered in central Vancouver to watch the crucial final game.
Two trauma cases, three stabbings and one head injury were reported at the city's two hospitals, said the Vancouver Sun. At one hospital, 28 patients had gone into A&E with a further 50 treated for teargas inhalation.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson described the violence as "embarrassing and shameful".
"The vast majority of people who were in the downtown tonight were there to enjoy the game in a peaceful and respectful manner," he said. "It is unfortunate that a small number of people intent on criminal activity have turned pockets of the downtown into areas involving destruction of property and confrontations with police."
The trouble began after the end of the Canucks' 4-0 defeat to the Boston Bruins in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.
About an hour after the game ended, troublemakers started hurling rubbish and bottles at police armed with riot shields. Protesters who rushed the police line were quickly subdued with truncheon blows.
"I heard a loud noise and turned and there was a car being stomped on by a bunch of guys," 18-year-old witness Brandon Sinclair said.
"A bunch of guys started rocking it, then they flipped it over and five minutes later it was on fire and then they flipped another one. It was just out of control."
Television images showed a large fire burning inside a garage, but it wasn't clear what was ablaze.
One car exploded, prompting bystanders to duck. Fans who were trying to get out of the danger zone found their visibility reduced by thick black smoke.
Some protesters held what looked like pipes or hockey sticks over their heads as they jeered at officers. Newspaper boxes were wrenched off the pavement and hurled through store windows. Portable toilets were tipped over as the stifling black smoke spread.
Fans wandered amid the chaos, some with bandanas or T-shirts pulled over their faces either to hide their faces from police and TV cameras or to guard against the smoke.
You know the end of civilization is near when the Canadians start rioting.... |
Canadians rioting?
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Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre: