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.
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embassies of Japan, Norway and Iceland to question their outdated whaling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.
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