[Guardian] Whaling activist claims he was shot by Japanese

2008.03.07

The leader of an anti-whaling environmental group today claimed he had been shot by Japanese coast guard officers while on his boat in the southern ocean and had only survived because he was wearing a protective vest.

Paul Watson, the marine conservation group's leader, claimed a bullet struck him above the heart and that he had video footage of the ship's doctor, David Page, removing it from his protective vest.

Two others were injured, the group, Sea Shepherd, said. One injured his hip as he tried to dodge incoming "flash grenades", and another received bruises to the back when one of the grenades exploded behind him.

"I felt this impact on my chest," Watson told Australian radio. "I found a bullet buried in the Kevlar vest that I wear. It bruised my shoulder but it would have hit my heart if I didn't have the vest."

But Japanese officials said no shots had been fired. Tomohiko Taniguchi, a foreign ministry spokesman, said the Japanese fleet's mother ship, the Nisshin Maru, had warned Watson and his crew that it would retaliate with flash grenades unless they stopped attacking the vessel with "stink bombs" containing of butyric acid.

"The Nisshin Maru was attacked four times today," Taniguchi told the Guardian. "After the second wave of attacks Sea Shepherd was warned that if they threw more acid then the whaling ship would retaliate. But no bullets were fired."

The three coast guard officers on board the Nisshin Maru carry handguns but are not permitted to use them unless they are fired at first. "We are not talking about a High Noon confrontation here," Taniguchi said. "We are not interested in escalating the conflict with Sea Shepherd."

The flash grenades, also known as "flashbangs," are commonly used in crowd control. They are designed to rupture in mid-air and produce a loud bang to deter protesters. One of seven grenades thrown at the anti-whaling vessel Steve Irwin is thought to have exploded on the vessel's deck.

Watson accused Japan of overacting to Sea Shepherd's protests, which pose no threat to members of the whaling crew. "We go out of our way to make sure we don't throw them near anybody, but they were throwing the flash grenades directly at us," he said.

"Why are there armed coast guard people attacking Australian citizens and other citizens in the Australian Antarctic territory?"

The Australian foreign minister, Stephen Smith, called for calm on both sides. "The Australian government once again calls on all parties in the southern ocean, including all protest and whaling vessels, and their respective crews, to exercise restraint," he said.

Japan is growing anxious about the safety of its whaling crews as it comes under international pressure to end its controversial culls in the Antarctic. This year the whaling fleet had planned to kill almost 1,000 whales, but it is believed to be well below its quota due to clashes with Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace protesters.

Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 but the following year Japan began using a loophole in the moratorium that allows it to slaughter whales for "scientific research."

Yesterday a protester scaled the Japanese embassy and unfurled a banner saying: "Japan stop your illegal whaling" as the International Whaling Commission met for three-days of closed talks near Heathrow airport.

Martin Wyness, a Sea Shepherd member, also lowered the Japanese flag to half-mast. "I think an awful lot of people in Britain are not happy that the Japanese can proudly fly their flag at the top of the mast while they continue this illegal whaling sham," he said. Wyness, 50, was arrested for trespassing.

Masahiko Komura, the foreign minister, today condemned the attack and urged the British police to step up security around the embassy.

"I want to make it clear that acts of violence or unlawful acts are unacceptable," he told reporters. "I don't know if it was an individual act or an organised one, but either way this is outrageous."

Category:

News & Politics

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• shooting
• shot
• Japan
• Japanese
• Minke
• whale
• hunt
• conservation
• environment
• meat
• antarctic

[tigawv]

I wish the Coastal gaurds threw GRENADES at them

[Talinfl]

The japs doing that to whales should get shot for doing what they do

[nzman101]

pity you wore a kevlar vest.

[hacksign000]

so what if they eat the whales ? Unless you're a full time vegetarian, shut up.

[Thekitty0706fan]

@Talinfl I think you are over reacting the japanes people are just trying to get food to their cuntry

i bet the use would do the same

allso what the shepherds are doing i understand that they want to do the right thing

but geting out in a boat throwing random jars of shit n stuff wont help

mabby you could have a word with the japanes goverment or somthing

[jubbiiiiiii]

im pretty sure that if he was shoot, he would have felt it much better, a body west does stop the bullet from going tro your body yes, but the hit of the bullet will still cause lots of pain, kinda like getting punched, just smaller and way more pain full

[jwalker477]

fake and gay

[bigsbysmalls1]

stupid hippies, needa get jobs!

[xdroon3]

lol these eco fags need to be harpooned

[tigawv]

@kilbergalindo Aww.. Thanks Internet.

[kilbergalindo]

@tigawv you're a dick...