Police in Edmonton say charges are pending after a topless protester interrupted the Juno Awards

Avril Lavigne came face-to-face with a topless stage invader at the Juno Awards on Monday night.

 

Police in Edmonton say charges are pending after a topless protester interrupted the Juno Awards.

 

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The Canadian punk pop star was introducing musician AP Dhillon to the stage at Canada’s alternative to the Grammys at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, when she realized she wasn’t alone.

Upon seeing the individual — who had “save the green belt” written on their back, seemingly in protest of the Ontario government’s proposal to build at least 50,000 new homes on the protective land of Greenbelt — the ‘Sk8er Boy’ hitmaker swiftly told them to “get the f*** off”.

 

Edmonton police say charges against a 37-year-old woman are pending, but would not comment on the nature of the charges.

 

Later, during her acceptance speech for the Fan Choice Award, Avril, 38, quipped: “Now nobody try anything this time. I’ll f*** a b**** up.”

 

Marvel actor Simu Liu hosted the bash and thanked the singer for “handling that topless lady like a champion.”

 

The Weeknd was the big winner of the awards, winning a total of five Junos, bringing his total to 22.

Avril Lavigne covering naked protestor - Juno Awards 2023 - GettyAvril Lavigne covering naked protestor – Juno Awards 2023 – Getty Bang Showbiz

It makes the ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker, 33, the second most-awarded star in Junos history, with Anne Murray, 77, leading the way with 25 wins.

 

Four of his awards were announced at the Juno Opening Night Awards, which was live-streamed from the Edmonton Convention Centre at the weekend, and they were Artist Of The Year, Songwriter Of The Year, Single Of The for ‘Sacrifice’, and Pop Album for ‘Dawn FM’.

At the main ceremony, the megastar was honoured with Album Of The Year for ‘Dawn FM’, however, he was not there to accept the prize.

 

The evening also saw Nickelback inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, virtually by Ryan Reynolds and Michael Bublé.

 

Frontman Chad Kroeger, 48, said: “Returning home to Alberta, back to where everything started for us, is truly a full circle, milestone moment for the band.

 

“We take so much pride in our Canadian roots and are extremely humbled by this honour.”

 

Head to junoawards.ca to check out the full winners’ list.

 

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