A climate activist smeared pink paint on a Tom Thomson artwork at the National Gallery of Canada as part of activities this week drawing attention to demands for a national firefighting service..A member of the group On2Ottawa splashed paint on Thomson's Northern River, which was painted in 1914/15..A video uploaded to Facebook by the group appears to show Kaleb Suedfeld, 28, splashing paint, then kneeling and gluing his hand onto the floor before pulling a written speech from his pocket..“Fossil fuel industries are destroying the work of art that is our planet and our government is firmly in their grip, doing nothing to stop their crimes,” Suedfeld said..Suedfeld said the damage forest fires have caused across the country this year, with thousands of people evacuated, have resulted in the deaths of four firefighters, as well as an estimated 37 million acres burned..“We are shocked that the governments around the world, including our own, are allowing our beautiful planet, this work of art, to be gutted and burned to fuel the pockets of fossil fuel plutocrats," Suedfeld said..A press release from On2Ottawa stated, “Further disruption in the capital is expected to continue for another week-and-a-half.”.The group identifies itself as a "nonviolent civil disobedience campaign focused on the creation of a National Firefighting Agency.".As of Tuesday, 12 of the group’s members have been arrested for offences in connection with blocking traffic in Ottawa.
