London police had their hands full with Western University students celebrating in the streets Saturday.
Throughout Saturday, crowds of young people, many of them wearing purple, converged on Broughdale Ave. near the Western University campus. The gathering of students was part of what has been known as FOCO, or "fake homecoming".
Officers and paramedics worked the area all day, with the crowds getting large enough to close some roads shortly after noon. London police said via Twitter that there were numerous arrests for underage drinking and public intoxication.
As of late Saturday afternoon, Middlesex-London Paramedic Service confirmed on social media that at least 26 people were sick or injured enough to be taken to hospital. A final tally may not be available until Sunday.
Police had asked people to stay out of the area, and keep the streets clear to allow emergency vehicles the ability to get to where they are needed.
London Fire Department acting chief Jack Burt said via tweet that the service had also been busy during the event. As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the department had laid up to 300 charges against building owners and tenants for building-related issues.
Students began holding FOCO as a way of defying the university's move in 2016 to switch Homecoming to October. According to London police, only 54 tickets were issued in 2016. However, things went wild again in 2017. Almost a thousand warnings were issued by London police, but over 60 charges were laid and eight people were arrested. Paramedics responded last year to 54 people who were ill or injured, with 37 of them needing hospital care.
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