Rather than pressuring the Japanese to stop whaling, the vigilante violence of the Sea Shepherds made it more difficult for Japanese diplomats to compromise in negotiations to reduce whaling according to documents released by WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks releases documents about anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd
Japanese and American officials discussed taking action to weaken a prominent anti-whaling group, with Tokyo insisting that Sea Shepherd’s confrontations on the high seas actually hurt efforts to reduce whaling, U.S. diplomatic cables show.
The U.S. representative to the International Whaling Commission, Monica Medina, discussed revoking the U.S.-based conservation group’s tax-exempt status during a meeting with senior officials from the Fisheries Agency of Japan in November 2009, according to the documents released by WikiLeaks on Monday.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s yearly protest campaigns — which chase Japan’s whaling fleet in boats trying to disrupt the hunt by fouling fishing lines and throwing rancid butter at whalers — have drawn high-profile donors and volunteers, and spawned the popular Animal Planet series “Whale Wars.” In Japan, the harassment is seen by some as foreign interference in national affairs, making politicians wary of getting involved.
Thanks to Neil Gallagher for passing the article along.
I ran across these two the other day:
Activists, Japan whalers clash in Southern Ocean http://tw.physorg.com/213105097
S.Korea clamps down on illegal whale-hunting http://tw.physorg.com/213175393
I am shocked, shocked to learn that the Sea Shepherds’ tactics were counter-productive to the goals they ostensibly supported.
Next you’ll be telling me that the Earth Liberation Front gives environmentalists and conservation groups a bad image.
On the other hand it does make entertaining reality TV. Pity that lives are put at risk. But that is show business, I guess.
Sea Shepherd is awesome!!! Doesnt Japan know that everyone knows the Research sign is a load of shit?
There is nothing very impressive about the Sea Shepherd’s brand of vigilante thuggery. All Paul Watson’s ego trip piracy has accomplished is generating sympathy for the whalers in Japan.
How is it “national affairs” when the Japanese whalers hunt whales in international and more recently Australian Antarctic territorial waters? All commercial whaling (Japanese, Icelandic, etc.) must be stopped period.
Did you read the article before posting your comment Nunzio? I agree, we must stop whaling. The Sea Shepherd’s violence is only hindering that effort.