Vancouver’s famous kissing couple is revealed

The identity of Vancouver’s famous kissing couple is revealed

By 'Duk

In the age of Facebook and Twitter, it was only a matter of time before the world learned the identities of the kissing couple from that now-iconic photo of the Vancouver riots.

About 24 hours after photos of the smooch was passed on through emails, IMs and blog posts, the Toronto Star and the CBC are reporting that the boyfriend and girlfriend in the photograph are Aussie bartender Scott Jones and Canadian college student Alex Thomas, who was injured just before the picture was taken.

The papers report that Jones and Thomas have been dating since Jones arrived in Vancouver on a "working holiday." They attended Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, which the hometown Canucks lost 4-0 to theBoston Bruins, and then somehow found themselves between the angry rioters and charging riot police later that night in downtown Vancouver.

The famous aftermath, as captured by Getty Images photographer Rich Lam:

So how were Jones and Thomas ultimately identified as the unlikely "make love, not war" couple of Vancouver's embarrassing night of injury and destruction?

It probably won't surprise you to learn that Facebook was involved.

Though Scott's sister Hannah first identified her brother to an Australian news network, things really started taking off when  Brett Jones, Scott's father, posted the following update on his Facebook profile on Friday morning from the family's home in Perth, Australia.

(Note the funny response from Scott's brother, Ryan.)

Brett Jones now says the couple is being besieged by media requests from outlets around the world. All, of course, are interested in knowing the circumstances that found the couple smooching as cars were burned and windows were smashed around them.

But despite some of our initial assumptions, the kiss seen 'round the world wasn't the product of a riot-fueled, uncontrollable passion. Brett Jones instead notes that Thomas was injured and his son was coming to her aid. An alternate angle taken from above shows other bystanders later attempting to help Thomas and Jones.

Combine that different angle with Brett Jones' story and it certainly dispels the rumors that the couple had intentionally staged the photo.

"They were between the riot police and the rioters, and the riot police were actually charging forward, and Alex got knocked by a [police] shield and fell to the ground," Brett Jones told CBC News. "[Scott] was comforting her and gave her a kiss to say, 'It's going to be OK,' and the photographer just took the shot at that moment."

Jones' mother Marie said she immediately knew it was her son in the picture because "he doesn't have a lot of clothes with him and he always puts on the same thing."

So where do they go from here? The good news is that Jones escaped the incident unhurt and Thomas only suffered a bruised leg. The bad news is that Jones is scheduled to leave Canada soon and head home for Australia after a trip to California. The Jones family says that Thomas plans to visit California with their son but that the couple's future after that is uncertain.

Related articles

• Kissing riot couple identified (globaltvbc.com)
• Vancouver riots' kissing duo are Australian, Canadian (cbc.ca)

Live Video - Vancouver Canucks Fans Riot After Stanley Cup Loss (4-0) to Boston Bruins

ANGRY, drunken revellers have run amok in Vancouver after the Vancouver Canucks' 4-0 loss to Boston in game seven of ice hockey's Stanley Cup, handing the National Hockey League title to the Bruins.
Fans set cars and garbage cans ablaze, smashed windows, showered giant TV screens with beer bottles and danced atop overturned vehicles.
"It's terrible," Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin said, shaking his head.
"This city and province has a lot to be proud of, the team we have and the guys we have in here. It's too bad."
NBA star Steve Nash, from Vancouver and the brother-in-law of Canucks forward Manny Malhotra, sent a Twitter message imploring the fans to stop the violence. "We're a great city and have a lot of class. Our team is great and our championship will come. Soon," Nash wrote.
There were no immediate indications of injuries, although images were shown on television of at least one woman mopping blood from her forehead.
"You don't ever hope for a situation like this," Vancouver police Constable Jana McGuinness said.
"You celebrate the good times and you prepare for the bad times and that's exactly what we've done. Unfortunately, the tables have turned tonight... We will have to sit down and evaluate exactly what happened here. It's going to be a black mark for a very, very long time."
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson praised the police and firefighters and asked people to stay away from the central downtown area.
"It is extremely disappointing to see the situation in downtown Vancouver turn violent after tonight's Stanley Cup game," Robertson said.
"Vancouver is a world-class city and it is embarrassing and shameful to see the type of violence and disorder we've seen tonight.
"The vast majority of people who were in the downtown tonight were there to enjoy the game in a peaceful and respectful manner. 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."
Tear gas mingled with the stench of acrid smoke and stale beer as riot police, truncheons drawn, moved in to quell the violence, pushing crowds away from the burning cars.
Later, police cars also were set on fire. At one point, police were using flash-bangs - grenades that are designed to distract and disorient, rather than injure - to try to break up the mob, said Chad McMillan, 31, a Vancouver resident and Canucks fan.
"This isn't what the Canucks are about," McMillan said. "This isn't what their fans are about. This isn't what this city is about."
Flames leaped from at least two overturned vehicles in the middle of rubbish-strewn streets, filling the downtown core with heavy black smoke in the moments immediately following the game.
"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 about the first few moments of violence.
"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."
Bright orange flames were seen shooting into the air as bystanders tossed firecrackers.
Television images showed a large fire burning inside a parking garage, but it wasn't clear what was ablaze.
A small group of rioters appeared to be at the heart of the action reminiscent of a similar scene that erupted in the city in 1994 following the Canucks' game seven loss to the New York Rangers.
About an hour after the game ended, some bold troublemakers started hurling garbage and bottles at police officers, who deflected the debris with riot shields. Protesters who rushed the police line were quickly subdued with blows from truncheons.
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 as the stifling black smoke spread through the city's core.
Some seemed to revel in the rampage, recording the vandalism on cell phones and video cameras. A few congratulated those who tried to attack police, and others erupted with cheers every time something was damaged. Fans set fire to a stuffed bear decorated to symbolise the Bruins, while others sang a drunken tune as they danced on an overturned vehicle.
At least two young men covered in soot reported being roughed up by the police, but they weren't arrested.