Girl, 14, arrested in whaling protest (tied herself to the Japanese embassy in London)

[Barrett808]

Source: Herald Sun

A 14-YEAR-old British girl has been arrested after protesting against whaling outside the Japanese embassy in London, inspired by the work of Greenpeace in the Southern Ocean.

Sophie Wyness and her father Martin were removed by police after tying themselves to a railing inside the embassy.

The pair was charged with criminal trespass and will appear in court on February 6.

"I honestly think that me having a criminal record is not a big price to pay when what the whales are going through is so much worse," Sophie said, according to the British Press Association.

The teenager took action after watching a film about the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza - which is disrupting the activities of the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

One video clip which showed a whale being blown up, had "hit me hard", she said.

Also worth noting:

Heroes' Hayden Panettiere to Cheer for Whales in the Nation's Capital

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Actress Hayden
Panettiere, who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's hit series Heroes,
will lead a rally against a resumption of commercial whaling at 1 p.m. this
Sunday, January 27, in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle. The event kicks
off a whirlwind trip to the Nation's Capital for Panettiere, who will later
speak with policymakers and students to encourage increased whale
protection.

Panettiere is a spokesperson for the Save the Whales Again! campaign,
which is calling on the United States to stand up for whales at the
International Whaling Commission and take diplomatic and economic action
against whaling countries. After the rally, she will speak at Georgetown
University. On Monday, she will meet with representatives from the
embassies of Japan, Norway and Iceland to question their outdated whaling
practices.

"Whales face increasing threats from climate change, ship strikes,
entanglement in nets, and chemical and noise pollution, yet Japan, Norway
and Iceland continue to kill them in increasing numbers," Panettiere said.
"I am looking forward to talking with officials who actually make and carry
out our policies, as well as fellow young people who will be voting in the
upcoming election -- I want our voice to be heard."

On Tuesday, Panettiere will speak at a 1 p.m. press conference hosted
by House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Chair Nick Rahall
(D-WV). She will be joined by Rahall and Senator John Kerry (DMA) in urging
the US Government to reinstate its former leadership role protecting whales
from commercial slaughter. An evening reception with Members of Congress
and their staff is the final stop on her trip.

"Over 25,000 whales have been slaughtered for profit since the ban on
commercial whaling was instituted. The United States is the current chair
of the IWC and it must stand up to whaling countries and use its position
to lead the world in conserving whales and their habitats," said Susan
Millward, director of marine animal programs at the Animal Welfare
Institute, a co-founder of the Save the Whales Again! campaign.

Despite the public's interest in protecting whales, US leadership on
whale issues has significantly declined over the past five years. Most
recently, the United States refused to join with 30 nations and the
European Commission in a diplomatic protest against Japan's Antarctic
whaling program.

"Recent polls show that over 75 percent of registered voters oppose
whaling, and over two thirds want our government to do something about it,
yet to this point, little has been done to stop the increasing slaughter,"
said Jeff Pantukhoff, president and founder of the Whaleman Foundation and
executive director of the Save the Whales Again! campaign. "We need the
United States to reflect the will of its people and lead the way in taking
all necessary actions against Japan, Norway and Iceland until the killing
stops."

Save the Whales Again! is a campaign of The Whaleman Foundation and the
Animal Welfare Institute. The Animal Welfare Institute, founder of the
original "Save the Whales" movement, was established in 1951 to reduce the
sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. The Whaleman
Foundation is an oceanic research, conservation and production organization
dedicated to preserving and protecting dolphins, whales, and their
respective habitats.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-24-2008/0004742597&EDATE=

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23106412-5005961,00.html

[alfredo]

1. Japanese consulate contact info

http://www.ny.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/a/01.html

[xchrom]

3. and one for you too --

:applause:

[alfredo]

4. Twarn't nuttin

[xchrom]

2. ...

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Mythsaje]

5. Save the cheerleader, save the whales!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

I have nothing but admiration for Hayden...if only all the young celebs were so generally conscious.

[bitchkitty]

6. AWESOME child!

Sometimes, riding the train, I'll overhear kids talking and despair of the world's future. Then a child like this comes along....

[Bonobo]

7. Other protests her father did: Oxygen masks on 2,200 yr old Chinese terracotta statues

Terracotta eco-warrior: protester breaches security to put masks on 2,200-year-old statues
An eco-protester breached security at the British Museum to put face masks on exhibits from the Chinese Terracotta Army.

The man jumped barriers to place the masks bearing the slogan "CO2 emission polluter" on two of the life-sized figures to highlight China's poor pollution record.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487679&in_page_id=1770

Sorry but he's a disrespectful nut. Probably hates Chinese and Japanese equally it seems.

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. In that case, the world needs more nuts and less ppl who sit

at their computer or in front of their tvs and do NOTHING. Yes, its self incrimination.

[Barrett808]

10. Brilliant! Thanks for posting.

That was a clever action.

[LanternWaste]

11. Or, more likely probably hates the way the industrial world shirks its responsibility

"Probably hates Chinese and Japanese equally it seems."

Or (more likely), probably hates the way the industrial world shirks its responsibility as stewards of the planet-- regardless of imaginary red and blue lines on maps.

If a person protests only in America, does that mean that person hates America?

What leads you to believe the guy hates Japan and China rather than simply hating polluters of the planet?

[Bonobo]

12. Perhaps if a Chinese protester came here and decided to make a paper airplane

with the original Constitution or draw a moustache on the Mona Lisa or maybe a little scratch in the Rosetta Stone?

[LanternWaste]

15. Use of a sacred cow

Use of a sacred cow to protest something means they hate the country/culture? Let's hope no one in this country ever practices civil disobedience by illustrating the inanities of one of our American sacred cows...


Oh, that's right. They do. And then they get asked "why do hate America" by the narrow-minded RW'ers...

Anyways, putting air masks on the statues didn't permanently deface them them as the examples you used did. But then again, it wouldn't be very dramatic to use a more apt analogy, such as setting a gas mask on the Constitution, would it?


Jeez... you're reaching here...

[The Stranger]

9. Where are the usual Reactionary posts about, "Isn't that breaking the law?"

I mean, civil disobedience -- OH, THE HORROR!

[Bonobo]

13. See above for Reactionary Post.

[The Stranger]

14. Prostesting criminals whaling is not an attack against Japanese (much less Chinese) people.

Let it go.