(Montreal) Members of the group “The Last Generation” reportedly stuck their hands to the ground again on one of the lanes at the exit of the Montreal-Trudeau airport on Friday, disrupting traffic at the airport and on certain highways.
“Sorry for the inconvenience – again! Our message is clear: oil kills and our governments must endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty,” the group wrote on social media around 1:30 p.m. Friday.
A few minutes earlier, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport had published this message on the social network X: “A concerted action by a group of individuals is causing delays at the exit of the YUL airport site. Measures are in place to remedy this situation as soon as possible. We invite users to use the Express Drop-Offs located in the parking lots.”
Shortly before 2 p.m., The Last Generation released a statement describing the intervention: “At approximately 12:30 p.m. EDT, Last Generation Canada supporters began blocking Roméo Vachon Boulevard toward the airport arrivals area with banners reading ‘Oil Kills.’ Three supporters stuck their hands in the road and remained there.”
Buses diverted and traffic disrupted
The activists’ action disrupted the services of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
“Due to the ongoing events at the airport, several bus lines are being diverted. For more information, follow our account @stm_bus,” wrote the STM on X.
The Ministry of Transport, via the Québec 511 service, indicated that certain accesses to Highway 520 East and West, as well as Highway 20 West towards the airport, could be temporarily closed and that delays are to be expected, due to the demonstration.
Third Misdeed
On Thursday, a small group of protesters from the same organization sprayed paint on the airport’s exterior windows.
The Montreal Police Department confirmed Thursday evening that a 25-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman were arrested for these crimes, then released on a promise to appear in court.
On Wednesday morning, environmental activists demanding an end to all new fossil fuel mining projects disrupted access to the airport for the first time, notably by sticking their hands to the ground on one of the roads leading to the Montreal airport landing stage.
Three protesters were then arrested.
“The Last Generation” calls on the Canadian government to endorse a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, thus stopping the expansion of fossil fuels.
“We know who lit the fires. Conference after conference, our politicians have failed internationally to end fossil fuels. The Paris Agreement is dead; we need a real treaty to end the fossil fuel era and ensure a just transition for working people,” the group’s website says.
The organization describes itself as a group that advocates nonviolent civil resistance.