Five arrested for mischief as protesters spray PMO offices pink

Published Feb 07, 2024  •  Last updated 17 minutes ago  •  1 minute read

Pink paint covers a sign on the entrance to the prime minister’s office on Wellington Street in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb.7, 2024. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Ottawa police confirmed five people were arrested for mischief following a Wednesday morning protest where a downtown federal office building was again painted pink by environmental activists.

The protest by a group calling itself Last Generation Canada began at about 9 a.m. at the Wellington Street building housing the prime minister’s and Privy Council offices.

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The group is demanding government action on the climate crisis, starting with the creation of a national firefighting agency.

Protesters began blocking traffic on Wellington at about 9 a.m., while one protester spray painted the entrance area to the building pink.

“Five individuals were removed from the roadway as they were blocking traffic and have been arrested for mischief,” the Ottawa Police Service said in an email.

“As the investigation continues further criminal charges may be laid,” police said.

On Tuesday, a Last Generation Canada supporter set fire to an empty stroller on Parliament Hill to “illustrate the consequences and urgency of government inaction on the climate crisis.”

In a news release, the group vowed to continue unspecified civil resistance in the Ottawa area.

Last April, two members of a related group, calling themselves On2Ottawa, were reportedly detained after pink paint was splashed over the entrance of the PMO on Wellington Street.

Protesters were attempting to draw attention to a number of environmental concerns.

Shortly after they arrived, a woman walked up the building’s stairs with a bucket of pink paint, which she threw on the stone walls and the building’s door.

The woman then pulled off her top before chaining herself to a rail.

Also in 2023, the campaign interrupted the Juno Awards ceremony and caused other traffic delays.

Last Generation Canada calls on the federal government to train and employ 50,000 firefighters this year.

Firefighting is a provincial responsibility in Canada, although the federal government can send support when requested.

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