Image from Rich Lam/Getty Images
I wrote about the awful riots in Vancouver following their team’s loss in the Stanley Cup finals (to my team, Yay!), but at least there is some sort of silver lining in what has become one of the most iconic images from the fracas – the ‘kissing couple’.
It was highlighted through Twitter:
@buzzfeed You forgot one of the best ones – Vancouverites who know to make love, not war: http://ow.ly/5jf9o
That pointed to this image, from Rich Lam of Getty Images.
Initially there was some concern that this was TOO perfect, so it must have been staged. But that wasn’t the case, as noted in a CBC report that tracked down the couple and got their story:
“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,” he 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.”
For all the shameful stories of criminals and thugs and fans behaving badly that tainted the fine city of Vancouver, it is nice to hear such a wonderful story and see such a heart-warming image to remind us that even in the worst of times … there is love.