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Stanley Cup riot charges to be announced today

Stanley Cup riot

Charges are finally expected to be announced today against individuals involved in Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot. Alleged participants will be charged with everything from taking part in a riot to assault and/or theft.

The police have faced heavy criticism for what’s been deemed an unacceptable time lag between the riot that occurred on June 15, nearly five months ago, and charges being laid. The criticism only intensified when many of those involved in London’s summer riots were charged and convicted almost immediately, even though the U.K.’s justice system differs in many ways from Canada’s and London police have significantly more resources at their disposal.

These won’t be the last charges laid in Vancouver. This is just the first wave.

The amount of evidence that police have been forced to review is staggering to say the least. A simple YouTube search is proof of what the police were up against.

The next big hurdle will be to make the charges stick, as the last thing Vancouverites want to see is the alleged perpetrators escaping without punishment.

The announcement of these charges couldn’t come at a better time for Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, who’s up for re-election in a matter of weeks. If we were the cynical types, we’d wonder if the mayor told police they’d better have something to show for their work before voters head to the polls.