Whaling protestors defiant over Japan embassy demo
LONDON (AFP) — Two anti-whaling protestors defended their actions Wednesday after staging a demonstration inside Japan's embassy in London, as they appeared in court over the incident.
Martin Wyness, 50, and a 14-year-old girl who cannot be named for legal reasons were arrested on suspicion of trespass after they tied themselves to a railing inside the diplomatic mission on January 24.
The pair appeared Wednesday at a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where a judge granted them both bail while adjourning the case until February 15.
But speaking afterwards, Wyness said he thought the best result for the government would for the case to be dropped. "They don't want the embarrassment of us being sentenced or a consultation with the Japanese government," he said.
The 14-year-old defended the protest. "I don't see how sticking up for whales is so wrong," she said. "I was inspired to do this by the fact that whaling is a cruel, brutal and unnecessary practice."
She urged the public not to buy Japanese goods while the country continues hunting whales, and voiced irritation that judge Quentin Purdy had ordered that her identity not been published.
"The only reason I did the protest was to get the publicity, but as long as we get the issue out there, my name doesn't matter," she said. "The issue is more important than my name."
Japan kills more than 1,000 whales a year using a loophole in a global 1986 moratorium that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals. Only Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium outright.
Japan argues that whaling is part of its culture and has frequently accused Western nations, led by Australia, of cultural insensitivity.