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2012 London St. Patrick’s Day Riot
On 17 March 2012, St. Patrick’s Day, a riot broke out in the city of London, Ontario in Canada after a day of student drinking. The riot took place on Fleming Drive, a student neighborhood east of Fanshawe College. An intoxicated crowd of 300-400 people, sometimes escalating to 1000 people rioted. Firefighters were the first to respond after reports of small fires were spotted on Fleming Drive around 10p.m. Their first troop arrived on the scene at 11:30p.m., but experienced pushback from rioters. The police with riot shields could only take a defensive position across the corner of Fanshawe College Blvd due to the aggressive behaviors and number of rioters. After a rioter threw a propane tank in a fire, the crowd began to disperse. The tank vented but did not explode. The rioting situation lasted more than 5 hours and was brought under control after the propane incident around 4 a.m. There was no death from the riot. Eleven were arrested during the riot. According to London Police chief Bradley S. Duncan, the riot was the worst case of violence that the city has experienced in his 32 years in the police force.

Social Media
Social media such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter were used by the police as platforms for identifying rioters and following up with investigations. Two days after the riot, Fanshawe College set up a secure email for students to provide school officials with any video or other information they had from Saturday’s violence.

Injury and Assaults
According to the London Police, the severity of the mob mentality from this riot could have resulted in deaths. 50 police officers were involved at the riot. They wore helmets and many were hit in the head. Some police suffered soft tissue injuries after being attacked by rioters throwing objects such as bricks, full liquor bottles, tires, and wooden planks. Firefighters also faced similar attacks and injuries.

Property and business damage
Fire trucks received scratches and dents, and seventeen police vehicles were damaged. The cost of damage to street pavements, vehicles, and lights was estimated to be $100,000. A CTV News van was flipped over and set on fire during the riot.

Justice System
Eleven were arrested during the riot. They were charged with unlawful conduct, assaulting police and resisting arrest. Eight of the eleven people arrested were students from Fanshawe College.

The riot was followed by a three-month police investigation, which ended in June, costing taxpayers about $500,000. In total, 175 criminal charges were filed against 68 suspects, 26 of whom were Fanshawe students. More than 80% (142) of charges were minor offences such as mischief and unlawful assembly. There were only few serious charges that lead to any kind of jail time.

Fanshawe College
Under the Fanshawe College’s policy, the school can impose academic penalties on students whose off-campus actions might affect the health and safety of others in the college community. Thus temporary suspensions were issued by Fanshawe officials to the students arrested from the riot.