David @ Tokyo

Y/H-san brought my attention to a further illustration of just what a disgraceful, unpleasant, extremist organization Sea Shepherd really is.

Has the world ever seen propaganda like this?

Japan to Murder 260 Whales in the North Pacific this Summer

(1) Misuse of the word "murder": "the unlawful killing of one human by another". Whales are not humans. One may subscribe to an animal rights philosophy that tries to equate the two, but trying to redefine the English language to help meet that aim is silly, as well as futile - just ask the non-English speakers of the world about it.

The outlaw whalers of Japan are ignoring world opinion and have announced they will target 260 whales in the North Pacific this summer.

(2) Misuse of the word "outlaw": "A habitual criminal". Legal opinion in both the most ferocious of anti-whaling nations, New Zealand and Australia acknowledges that there is nothing at all illegal about Japan's research programmes. Sea Shepherd needs to move on and accept reality.

(3) Dishonest assertion that "world opinion" is against whaling. "World opinion" consists of anti-whaling sentiment in a small number of otherwise apathetic, largely anglo-saxon nations. In larger international forums than the IWC such as CITES, a majority of nations have been seen to vote along the same lines as the pro-conservation / sustainable-use nations. Suggesting that "world opinion" is against whaling is equivalent to suggesting that the voices of a select group of westernized nations are the only ones that matter.

“This level of imperialist exploitation has not been seen since the Japanese army swept in and slaughtered the Chinese people and invaded their lands,” said Founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Captain Paul Watson.

(4) Misuse of the word "imperialist": "The policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations." Japan's actions are completely in line with the International Convention for the Regulation of whaling, and quite legal as is now universally recognised, and noted above.

(5) Overt racism. The events of World War II have nothing to do with modern day whaling. Trying to make such an association between an army and a cetacean research programme is ridiculous.

(6) Disgraceful and insulting comparison. Recently a New Zealand student magazine published an article which put "Chinese", along with animals like poisonous snakes and penguins, in a list of "Top five species we should be wary of". The supposed "joke" upset the Chinese community and caused huge protests from both Chinese students and the Chinese Embassy. The likening of a research programme that involves small numbers of whales being killed to events during World War II is likely to be even more offensive to the Chinese who suffered during the time. Exploitation of marine resources is an activity that virtually all nations with a coastline undertake, and certainly the Chinese themself are no exception to this.

Although the Japanese claim research as their motivation, the only research they are undertaking is product development and marketing of whale meat.

(7) Outright lies. Anyone who cares to look can find and learn about the objectives of the JARPA and JARPN research programmes. Rather than spreading misinformation about the objectives of these programmes, Sea Shepherd should simply state their disagreement to the aims of these programmes and the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.

Sea Shepherd is concentrating on securing a fast ship to oppose the plan by Japan to kill over one thousand whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary in December 2006.

(8) Even more outright lies. There is no plan to kill over one thousand whales in the Antarctic in December this year (or indeed the entire austral summer), the numbers are 850 minke whales plus +/- 10%, and 10 fin whales.

And if all this was not enough, in another press release Sea Shepherd refered to Tuvalu as a "rinky-dink" "nation of whores".

The ICR also has a document on the history of Sea Shepherd violence and lawlessness.

Labels: Sea Shepherd