CHAMONIX, France (Agence France-Presse)—French police on June 5 arrested a Danish artist who planned to paint the peak of Mont Blanc red in a bid to raise awareness of environmental issues.

Marco Evaristti, 43, originally from Chile, was picked up by police after having used a raspberry-based biodegradable dye on the top of the famous Alpine peak.

Police spokesman Olivier Kim said the artist might be charged with damaging the environment on a listed site, namely Mont Blanc itself.

Evaristti had announced on June 4 that he wanted to color the peak of Mont Blanc—the highest mountain in Western Europe—and establish a sovereign "Pink State" there to raise awareness for environmental issues.

"As France has taken the right to conduct nuclear testing in French Polynesia thousands of kilometers away, it would be a clear case of double-standards if they now prevented me from occupying a small piece of land for peaceful purposes," he said. Snow-capped Mont Blanc rises to 15,774 feet in the French Alps.