'An exercise of freedom': Topless protester stormed Junos for climate action awareness
The topless streaker whose brief protest made international headlines says it was easy to get on the Juno Awards stage Monday evening.
Half an hour into the televised broadcast for Canada's biggest awards in music, 37-year-old Casey Hatherly, who goes by the first name Ever, crashed the stage topless to highlight the need for climate action.
The Vancouver resident, facing a charge of unlawful obstruction, appeared in Edmonton court Wednesday morning.
Ever told CTV News Edmonton that her trip to Alberta's capital was specifically to "disrupt the Junos." She was released from police custody Tuesday.
"I am an independent activist. I will stand up for any cause I truly believe in. The causes I believe in were written on my body," Ever said.
Ever described how she chose to jump on stage during Avril Lavigne's introduction of Indo-Canadian hip hop singer and rapper AP Dhillon because she didn't want to "steal anybody's thunder."
"There was a lot of security, but I am pretty determined," she said. "I just did it. It's what I needed to do."
She said, "Save the Greenbelt," "Land back," and "Stop the TMX pipeline" were some of the messages she scrawled across her torso, back and arms.
Avril Lavigne confronts a topless protester as she presents during the Junos Monday, March 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Timothy Matwey
"These are the immediate steps our government needs to take in order to create climate action now," Ever said, adding that she is aligned with the On-To-Ottawa climate cross-country protest trek.
Ever explained how she recently participated in two other topless protests this past year. One included being part of a Canada Soccer game disruption in Vancouver to highlight the Save Old Growth forests movement.
This was the first time she was incarcerated after participating in a protest, Ever said.
"I truly believe that it wouldn't be as big a deal if I wasn't a female," she said. "It's about standing up for what I believe in."
"I find not only does it get more headlines," Ever added, "it's an exercise of freedom. Why did I have to wear pasties? Why was it when I was taken into police custody did I see it says, female in custody for exposing herself at the Junos?"
She is scheduled to appear in court again on April 5.
With a file from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.