U.S. Embassy spray-painted pink by Ottawa climate activist

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa was sprayed with pink paint on Thursday morning by a supporter of a climate action group that also targeted a Tesla dealership in Montreal the day before. 

Footage posted online by the group Last Generation Canada showed a woman in a pink vest spraying paint on the facade of the the building at 490 Sussex Dr. before being detained by embassy security.

Gillian Graham, 25, told CBC she carried out the act in protest against U.S. President Donald Trump empowering billionaires like Elon Musk, who she sees as putting private profit ahead of action against climate change.

"This is destroying our chance of a livable future," she said. "This isn't just about Trump. Canada is complicit." 

Last Generation Canada is calling on the government to create a climate disaster protection agency "that's funded by a billionaire tax," she said.

Tesla dealerships also targeted

Members of Last Generation Canada also spray-painted a Tesla dealership in Montreal on Wednesday, accusing Tesla owner Musk of climate crimes. The action comes amid a growing series of attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships by activists angered by Musk's role in the Trump administration. 

In Hamilton, police said upward of 80 Teslas were vandalized on Wednesday in what is believed to be the largest act of vandalism in Canada against the electric vehicle company.

With Tesla's share price dropping, Trump has promised to label violence against Tesla dealerships domestic terrorism.

"What we're seeing in the United States is the rise of fascism," said Laura Sullivan, a spokesperson for Last Generation Canada. 

The group is particularly concerned that the repeal of American environmental protections will hinder action on climate change, she said. 

"We are completely unprepared for climate disaster and climate catastrophe," she said.

Charged with mischief

After being detained, Graham was handed to Ottawa police and released after being charged with mischief, she said. 

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) confirmed arresting "a woman in her 20s for mischief-related offences after causing damage to property." Further criminal charges may be laid, an OPS spokesperson said in an email. 

In an emailed statement, a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said: "We take seriously the safety and security of our personnel and visitors to our facilities. We do not comment on U.S. Embassy security protocols."

Graham was previously arrested in February 2024 for burning a stroller on Parliament Hill, and in July 2024 for blocking a Montreal airport by gluing her hand to the ground, she said.

She will enter a defence of necessity to the latest charge, she said. 

"I don't think it's a crime," she said. "I think that the real criminals are the billionaires and fossil fuel executives that are destroying our planet."