Greenpeace activists in Montreal scaled the city's Biosphere Wednesday in hopes of drawing attention to the plight of a fellow protestor jailed in Russia.
Wearing bright orange jumpsuits and hard hats, Greenpeace activists Andreanne Lalonde, Philippe Dumont and David Major climbed the globe-like structure on Montreal’s Ile Ste. Helene.
Using what appeared to be professional climbing equipment, the trio reached the top at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET and unfurled a French banner that read: "Liberez nos activistes. #FreeTheArctic30."
The three climbers were later arrested by Montreal police after making their descent, which took more than an hour.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the family of Alexandre Paul was cheering on the climbers.
Paul -- along with fellow Canadian Paul Ruzycki and 28 other Greenpeace protestors – was arrested on Sept. 18 after Russian paramilitaries stormed their ship during a demonstration at an Arctic drilling rig.
He remains in a St. Petersburg jail on charges of hooliganism, pending a bail hearing Thursday. Ruzycki and a dozen other activists have already been granted bail.
"(Alexandre) must be scared a little bit because it's not the kind of detention that they got over here," Paul's father, Raymond Paul, told CTV Montreal.
He said his son is sharing a cell with several other people who do not speak English or French.
"During the daytime, they turn off the heat so they have to go to sleep with (their clothes) on because you freeze."
With files from CTV Montreal's Cindy Sherwin
