Avril Lavigne’s award show appearance interrupted by topless protestor
The activist sought to draw attention to the Ontario government’s planned deforestation of the Canadian province’s green spaces.
The 2023 Juno Awards, Canada’s long-running annual music awards show, saw a protestor take the stage as Avril Lavigne introduced a performer. The individual, an environmental activist, was topless and had the phrases “SAVE THE GREEN BELT” and “STOP LOGGING OLD GROWTH NOW” written on their body, references to the Ontario government’s plan to build developments on thousands of acres of the province’s protected green space and British Columbia's timber industry.
While Lavigne initially ignored the interruption, eventually she turned her attention to the protestor, saying, “Get the fuck off. Get the fuck off, bitch,” before security intervened. The entire imbroglio lasted less that 30 seconds, and you can watch it below.
The upshot: that same night, Lavigne was presented with the TikTok Juno Fan Choice Award and was able to make light of the incident: “Now nobody try anything this time or the Canadian’s gonna come out of me and I’ll fuck a bitch up.”