Avril Lavigne’s appearance at the Juno Awards on Monday night got off to a “complicated” start when a topless protester rushed the stage.
The bizarre incident happened while Lavigne was introducing a performance by Canadian singer and rapper AP Dhillon. During her introduction, a woman whose body was covered in written messages including “Save the Green Belt” and “Stop Logging Old Growth Now” casually stormed the stage. Lavigne, initially unperturbed, carried on for a few seconds before turning around to face the woman and telling her, “Get the fuck off. Get the fuck off, bitch.”
A security guard then swiftly removed the woman from the stage.
ADVERTISEMENT
The streaker’s aim, according to CTV News, was to protest a controversial housing plan recently rolled out by the government in Ontario. The plan would involve building thousands of homes on 2 million acres of protected land known as the Greenbelt.
Later in the evening, upon winning the TikTok Fan’s Choice award, Lavigne referenced the incident by jokingly warning the crowd: “Now nobody try anything this time, or the Canadian will come out in me and I’ll fuck a bitch up.” Aren’t Canadians supposed to be nice?!
