Anti-whaling group says activist ban 'a strategy'

[Robb]

Source: AP (via Washington Post)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- An anti-whaling group banned one of its members for carrying a weapon onboard ship as a strategy to help him avoid prison in Japan, and he's free to rejoin its protests, the group's leader said Thursday.

A Tokyo court on Wednesday convicted New Zealander Pete Bethune of assault and obstructing Japanese whaling ships in the Antarctic Ocean earlier this year, but suspended the two-year prison sentence.

Bethune, 45, climbed onto the whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in February from a Jet Ski to confront its captain over a collision the previous month that sank the Sea Shepherd protest vessel Bethune skippered.

During the trial, Sea Shepherd announced it would not let Bethune join further protests because it found he had loaded a bow and arrows onto his vessel before it set sail - even though he didn't intend using them against the Japanese whaling ships.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said Thursday that ban "was really just a legal strategy" as "the Japanese judges would (have been) hesitant to release Pete ... if they knew he was going to be (back) down in the southern ocean."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/08/AR2010070800955.html

[earthside]

1. Good for Sea Shepards!

It is good to see that there are environmentalists who understand the system and how to use the system against itself.

No "bipartisanship" from Capt. Watson.

There are some here in this country who could learn something from Sea Shepards.

[saigon68]

3. If you mean the DLC they are clueless

[flvegan]

2. Watson said in the beginning

that they were severing ties with Bethune to help him in his trial. AFAIK, they're trying to recreate something along the lines of the Ady Gil, which surely Bethune will come back to captain.

Three cheers for Bethune and Sea Shepherd!