Police in Montreal showed up at various newsrooms in the city, armed with warrants for the seizure of video footage of Monday night's riot.

News organizations, including CTV Montreal, will challenge the seizure in court. The CTV station handed over its riot footage, but placed the two DVDs in a sealed envelope. It has asked the envelope remain sealed until a judge rules on the matter. The station also filed a letter of protest.

The Canadian Association of Journalists has also issued a statement expressing its outrage at the police action. The organization says a journalist's role is to "provide information to the public, not to the police or any other state body."

"The Montreal police are in effect trying to deputize every journalist on the street that night," said CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch in a press release posted Wednesday on the organization's website.

"That's an attack on the free press itself, a misguided attempt that threatens to undermine our constitutionally protected role as independent observers."

In all, 10 news organizations were visited by the police.

Rioters damaged 16 police cruisers and 10 downtown buildings Monday night after the Montreal Canadiens' first round series win over the Boston Bruins. Police estimated the total damage to be $500,000.

Police said they have had lots of help in their investigations over the past two days from Montrealers who are upset about the bad image the rioters have given the city. Police say they've been provided video footage and pictures by people who were celebrating the win and caught the rioting on their cameras and cell phones.

Police have promised a strong presence for Thursday night's Habs game against the Philadelphia Flyers.