In a show of utter stupidity, Vancouver Canucks fans upset at the shutout loss to the Boston Bruins tonight overturned police cars, lit them on fire, broke windows and looted downtown Vancouver stores.
The world got to see exactly how petty and shallow Vancouverites (and Canadians in general) are. To quote the Vancouver mayor, “This is disgraceful.”
Around the world we’ve witnessed incredible political upheaval, with riots across the middle east and beyond where citizens have tried to overthrow oppressive governments and dictators…. and here in British Columbia we’re rioting, lighting cars on fire, smashing windows and looting stores all because a hockey team lost a game.
Greece is facing a national economic meltdown. The riots in that nation are over the events that affect the lives of millions of people.
Vancouver riots over a lost hockey game, a game of two teams of multi-millionaires who get to play their sport and make fortunes while they do.
How shallow and pathetic a nation are we? That seems to be answered loudly and clearly tonight as Vancouver Police Department (VPD), with help from police forces across the lower mainland, attempts to clear out the troublemakers.
We don’t have a Mouammar Kadhafi killing or torturing us on his whim-of-the-day. We don’t have famine, like so many nations in Africa suffer from.
We have a hockey team that lost a hockey game.
We cause a riot over that????
It’s a national disgrace.
Are we really this shallow and petty?
I don’t think I’ve been this disgusted with the actions of my fellow Canadians in a long, long time. This isn’t like the G20 where police over-reacted and violated the rights of thousands of people. This is our fellow citizens acting disgracefully, bringing shame upon the Vancouver Canucks, the City of Vancouver and Canada as a whole, and for all the world to see.
What an atrocious way for Vancouver to make the world news.
I’m used to being ashamed of the actions of some of our police during these sorts of events. I’m not used to being ashamed of my fellow Canadians over something as petty as losing a hockey game, Stanley Cup or not.
Given the events that have unfolded around the world this year, it shows just how pathetic and childish we Canadians can behave.
I have to commend the Vancouver Police Department on their incredible restraint when faced with such gross stupidity from such a large group of people.
While I’m sure we’ll hear of examples where the VPD will be accused of a heavy hand, but after watching the footage for the past three hours, I’ve seen nothing but restraint and unbelievable patience. I for one will be siding with the VPD on their actions until there is clear and compelling evidence to the contrary.
During the G20 summit we saw police forces acting like thugs from 3rd-world dictatorships. That’s not happening tonight in Vancouver, and that is very impressive.
Back in 1994 there wasn’t nearly as many video cameras capturing the looters and other morons. Vancouver’s mayor made it clear that he wants everyone held accountable for their atrocious and inexcusable behaviour tonight. I fully expect he will keep his word on that, and I’ll be watching as this unfolds to see exactly how he accomplishes that goal.
What a shameful way for our nation to be displayed to the world.
I totally agree Chris.
Jim
I’m going to weigh in here from a slightly different perspective.
For the most part, these property-destroyers are not hockey fans; they’re probably not even Canadians.
They are the professional rioters and looters who are on a list and are called up and dispatched by UN-sponsored NGO groups to make appearances wherever there is going to be a protest or mob scene, then they set about destroying property, just like they did at the G-20 in Toronto. (See my post on this Blogsite titled “What Worldly Good Came From Canada Hosting the G-20 Summit?”)
I doubt that those bad-ass Marxists are from the Vancouver area. I suspect they came across the border on a bus like they did at the G-20 where they torched a bank, police service vehicles, a TV van, broke windows and tore up sidewalks.
Damaging property is beyond the scope of constitutional rights of freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. Willful and wanton property damage is a criminal offense and I hope the Vancouver police round up the culprits.
Anybody who has seen good film footage taken in the darkness, which I haven’t, check their dress–dark clothing, hoods, maybe masks or dark glasses…probably with a few stumbling, local drunks thrown in for worse measure.
These paid gangsters would have been present and created chaos even if the Vancouver Canucks had won the Stanley Cup.
One other thing about these professional Marxist rioters and protesters is that while they probably don’t have a purpose other than money, their handlers do. They want people’s constitutional rights to “peaceful assembly” outlawed by brainwashed politicians as just one more hatchet hurled into the heart of our constitutional rights.