Topless protester who interrupted Avril Lavigne has a defiant response after her arrest
Casey "Ever" Hatherly climbed onstage at the Juno Awards with environmental slogans on her body, was removed by security, and defended the stunt in court days later.
A topless protester climbed onto the stage at the Juno Awards in Edmonton on Monday, March 13, 2023, while Avril Lavigne was introducing musician AP Dhillon, according to HuffPost. The protester, identified as Vancouver resident Casey "Ever" Hatherly, had the phrases "land back" and "stop logging old growth now" written on her torso and arms and wore pasties, per HuffPost's reporting.
Lavigne turned to confront the protester directly, saying, "Get the f*** off. Get the f*** off b****," according to Nicki Swift's account, before security removed Hatherly from the stage. HuffPost reported Hatherly was acting on behalf of the environmental advocacy group On to Ottawa.
Later in the ceremony, while accepting the Fan Choice Award, Lavigne referenced the incident again, telling the crowd: "Nobody try anything this time, or the Canadian's gonna come out in me and I'll f*** a b**** up," per Nicki Swift.
The arrest and the charge
Hatherly was arrested and faced a mischief charge, appearing in Edmonton court on Wednesday, according to HuffPost. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, she said: "I know that I have an incredible amount of privilege, and it is my absolute privilege to stand up and fight for something that I believe in. The best way that I can do that is by playing the cards that I'm dealt."
Part of a longer pattern of protest
The Juno Awards stunt was not Hatherly's first shirtless demonstration against old-growth logging, according to Wikipedia's sourced biographical record. In June 2022, she and another protester interrupted a Canada-vs-Curacao men's soccer match, appearing shirtless with "1022 days left" written on her torso and tying herself to a goalpost. In August 2022, she protested again at a Victoria, B.C. visitor center as part of the Save Old Growth campaign, this time with "961 days left" marked on her body. The following month after the Juno Awards, in April 2023, she splattered pink paint at the entrance of the Prime Minister's Office alongside a sign reading "Demand climate action now!"
How the case was ultimately resolved
Global News reported that Hatherly's case was resolved in late May 2023: rather than the mischief charge, she pleaded guilty to trespassing and was fined $600 in total, including $100 earmarked for a victims-support group. Speaking after the resolution, Hatherly questioned the province's use of the fine money, telling reporters, "Why would I wanna give $500 to this province that literally just elected an oil lobbyist while a third of the province is on fire?" — a reference to Alberta's recently concluded provincial election and that summer's wildfires, according to the outlet.
What the reporting doesn't resolve
The retrieved coverage does not detail whether Hatherly or On to Ottawa announced further action tied to old-growth logging policy following the broadcast attention, nor does it specify whether Lavigne or Juno organizers issued any statement beyond her remarks made live on stage.
US In News compiled this archived account from contemporaneous coverage by HuffPost, Nicki Swift and Global News. It restores a story originally published on this site in March 2023; figures are as reported at the time.