Charter rights of activists who climbed Jacques-Cartier Bridge violated, charges dismissed
Posted January 30, 2026 9:32 am.
Last Updated January 30, 2026 12:28 pm.
A judge ruled that the Charter rights of two climate activists, who climbed the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in October 2024 as a protest, were violated.
Olivier Huard and Jacob Pirro, linked to the activist groups Last Generation Canada and Collectif Antigone, succeeded in having charges against them dismissed.
“What is shocking […] is the prosecutor’s disregard for the rights of the accused and the abusive effect this has had,” wrote Judge Mairi Springate in a decision filed at the Montreal courthouse.
On Oct. 22, 2024, Huard and Pirro climbed to the top of the bridge as part of a climate protest, leading police to close one of the main access points onto the island for several hours during morning rush hour.
The duo were arrested and charged with mischief and willful resistance or obstruction of a peace officer in connection to the blockade. Both the men were then released on bail.
The activist group Last Generation Canada, known for similar tactics, welcomed the decision.
“Despite substantial efforts by the prosecutors to make an example of the two activists; treating them much more severely than the previous cases of activists climbing the exact same bridge, they were found to have violated the Charter rights of the two activists, constituting an abuse of power by the Crown,” the group said in a Facebook post.
