Kissing Couple Video: Footage Emerges of Vancouver Riot Couple, Scott Jones and Alex Thomas (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post Canada    
First Posted: 06/23/11 02:40 PM ET Updated: 08/23/11 06:12 AM ET

New video footage has surfaced of the now famous kissing couple from last week's Vancouver riots.

Amateur footage shows the couple, Australian Scott Jones and Canadian Alex Thomas, knocked down by a line of advancing police in riot gear.

Seconds later you see Jones protecting his girlfriend Thomas from police. The kiss, caught by Getty Images photographer Rich Lam, occurred seconds after that.

The couple's kiss became a defining image of the Vancouver riots and catapulted the couple to celebrity. They have since hired an agent to deal with the surge in publicity.

In an interview with the CBC, Jones said that he was trying to calm down his girlfriend after they had been knocked down by police.

"They started beating us with the shields, like trying to get us to move,” Jones said.

“We weren’t being aggressive towards [police] or anything like that. But eventually they passed over us. And that’s when we were on the ground. She was a bit hysterical afterwards, obviously, and I was just trying to calm her down,” said Jones, 29, an Australian who’s been in Canada for six months.

“They were literally charging at us and we tried to run away,” he said.

Rich Lam who snapped the image also recalled the moment.

"It was complete chaos. Rioters set two cars on fire and then I saw looters break the window at a neighbouring department store," he said to the Guardian.

"At that point, the riot police charged right towards us. After I stopped running, I noticed in the space behind the line of police that two people were lying in the street with the riot police and a raging fire just beyond them." he added.

The image sparked speculation about the couple's identity on Twitter and Facebook and questions about whether the image was photoshopped. Jones even picked up a nickname, the "Riot Romeo" for his smooch.

Neither Thomas nor Jones blames the police for what happened, but understand they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“[The police] were doing their job,” Thomas said.

READ: Will We Remember The Kissing Couple?

With files from the CBC


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New video footage has surfaced of the now famous kissing couple from last week's Vancouver riots. Amateur footage shows the couple, Australian Scott Jones and Canadian Alex Thomas, knocked down by ...
New video footage has surfaced of the now famous kissing couple from last week's Vancouver riots. Amateur footage shows the couple, Australian Scott Jones and Canadian Alex Thomas, knocked down by ...
New video footage has surfaced of the now famous kissing couple from last week's Vancouver riots. Amateur footage shows the couple, Australian Scott Jones and Canadian Alex Thomas, knocked down by ...
New video footage has surfaced of the now famous kissing couple from last week's Vancouver riots. Amateur footage shows the couple, Australian Scott Jones and Canadian Alex Thomas, knocked down by ...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ElBruce
06:40 AM on 06/25/2011
As usual, this shows it was the police who were perpetrating all of the violence. I have yet to see a "riot" in which the populace rather than the police was the violent party.
11:05 AM on 06/24/2011
These 2 were among the "lookie loos" that hung around to cheer the rioters on or whatever. This was well into the night after the police had read the riot act - everyone out! They stayed around, wouldn't leave and voila! Hurt - who cares. They are celebrities now, isn't that special.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Mithrall
My inner child is a mean little S.O.B.
09:20 AM on 06/24/2011
This video brought back some memories of my own riot training while I was in the military. I was regular army and we were sent to some base in Illinois for riot training. We were given the clear plexiglass shields and a baton?(can't remember exactly what it was) I didn't know much at the time but thinking back on it, it's kind of troubling. The 82nd Airborne training for riots why? Federal troops are forbidden by law under the Posse Comitatus Act from engaging in law enforcement actions. This was back before 9/11 in 85-86 and I'm wondering if this training is still going on. Additionally I ran into a language included in the "John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007" that basically nullified Posse Comitatus, thankfully it was repealed in 2008 but It's still amazing what we as a people were willing to let the government do to us after 9/11.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
AndyWright68
Freedom is inevitable!
08:23 AM on 06/24/2011
All cops should be abolished!
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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mirabay
stand for something or you will fall for
03:35 AM on 06/24/2011
The whole thing was caused by Tim Horton's for having such lousy coffee...........
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Democrab
Pretty far so good
01:20 AM on 06/24/2011
This whole thing was caused by Tim Thomas. Shame on him for being so good.
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bigmovieman
living free without the 1st and 2nd amendment
01:17 AM on 06/24/2011
wow, reminds me of either the streets of some middle eastern city or any place in which Michael Bay is shooting a film...
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celere
Get corporations OUT of government
12:45 AM on 06/24/2011
The boyfriend is a good and kind-hearted man who takes care of his lady.

It still amazes me that a couple of hysterical commenters insisted that this was gang-rape and accused anyone who dared to disagree with them of rather horrible crimes. One of them even followed me around for awhile.

I say we should all have such tender and protective boyfriends. He's a keeper.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jeremylh1
12:36 AM on 06/24/2011
Stupid pigs...should be roasted on the spit.
12:18 AM on 06/24/2011
I will never understand most rioters. Showing how mad they are by destroying their own neighborhoods.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sigel
11:58 PM on 06/23/2011
This article is total "fluff" and contains absolutely no content of value.

Do HuffpostAOL, its writers, and editors have nothing better to do?

Are they just sitting around with their thumbs up their butts?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
joejett
anyone but Obama 2012
10:58 PM on 06/23/2011
this has too be a Slow News cycle!! told u the weiner thing ended Too fast!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Harlemnite
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
10:38 PM on 06/23/2011
She got some nice legs.
10:34 PM on 06/23/2011
Japan - massive destruction and lives lost but no rioting or looting. - Canada -Hockey game loss and there's rioting and looting.
10:45 PM on 06/23/2011
i dnt know if you seen or heard about this one....but after the quake and tsunami, people were actually bringing safes they were finding stuffed with money to the police station.. thats awesome, the world should take note of that one ...damn
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alwill
Whatever happened to common sense?
10:32 PM on 06/23/2011
That pic is HOT!