The Last Generation Canada demonstration called for an end to the use of fossil fuels.
An anti-oil environmental group held a protest at Trudeau airport for the second day in a row Thursday, this time throwing paint on the doors and windows of the departures area.
The Last Generation Canada demonstration, a sit-in that involved two people and began around 6 p.m., called for an end to fossil fuel usage as part of what the group described as an “international uprising in support of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.”
The protest came one day after three protesters glued their hands to the road leading to airport departures, causing a traffic backup of several hours. The tactic has been used in other protests around the globe.
The group’s hope is that Canada will sign a treaty to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030, it explained. The government would also be required to help other countries “make a fast, fair and just transition.”
Last Generation Canada also wants the government to create a national firefighting agency of 50,000 firefighters and a citizens’ assembly that would be responsible for decision-making in terms of how to deal with the climate crisis.
Airport spokesperson Nadia Benelfellah said security and the Montreal police intervened quickly enough Thursday evening that the protest did not affect operations.
“Although we respect everyone’s right to express themselves, we consider it unacceptable to vandalize a public facility,” Benelfellah said in an email. “As our organization is well engaged on the road to sustainability, we deplore the fact that the site has been targeted by this action when it is a much broader societal debate.”
In an emailed statement provided by the group, protest participant Seph Marshall, 25, said they took action “because I can no longer wait, hoping for our government to act in the best interest of its people.”
“As I sit here, the town and park of Jasper are burning to the ground,” Marshall said. “The continued extraction of oil and gas for profit is not compatible with a livable future. We need to listen to the science.”
Amalie Frehner, 29, added: “We need to take the climate crisis seriously. I can’t sit idly by and wait for the next election to convey the urgency of the matter.”
Montreal police said two people were arrested, but the pair were released on the spot after they promised to appear in court.