Greenpeace issued a lengthy statement on their website in an attempt to further distance themselves from Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd yesterday. With an aim at setting the record straight, Greenpeace made the statement out of frustration with what it claims are lies and falsehoods propagated by Watson, compounded by a general public misconception that Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are associated with one another.
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Greenpeace takes issue with what they describe as a fundamental difference in the anti-whaling tactics practiced by each organization. It is interesting to note how Greenpeace characterizes and differentiates their tactics versus that of Sea Shepherd, particularly their characterization of what constitutes violence.
For Greenpeace, violence constitutes doing something that might put a human being in jeopardy, something they say Sea Shepherd and Watson are guilty of.
However, in their attempt to illustrate how proactive they are in the fight to save whales, Greenpeace makes reference to how in the past, Japanese whalers run from their ship at high speed when faced with a potential confrontation.
Regardless of Greenpeace’s non-violent policies, would the Japanese ship run from them, or resort to bringing the coast guard, if there wasn’t a perceived threat of violence? The success of Greenpeace’s anti-whaling efforts is clearly connected to the willingness of Sea Shepherd to take tough action and thereby instilling fear of the protesters in the whalers’ minds.
And anyway, is there a huge difference between sabotaging a propeller or sinking an unmanned whaling vessel (Sea Shepherd tactics) and blocking a harpoon vessel from shooting a whale with your ship (a Greenpeace tactic)? All these tactics are designed to achieve the same result, namely to prevent or reduce the killing of whales, and none particularly put lives at risk. Can’t we all just get along?
Image credit: Michael Dawes at Flickr under a Creative Commons license.
Whales are mammals you twat! Maybe you should do a little research before putting your worthless two cents in and throwing around words like moon bat, whacko and moron.
Greenpeace is a hundred times the conservation group that Sea Shepherd will ever be. Sea Shepherd is just grandstanding and making money.
Caught you lying – they don’t kill any humpbacks. Alright, so they do kill fins, but it’s only one or two per year.
And the “Australian Antarctic Territory” claim to those waters is invalid – it violates the Antarctic Treaty System.
In response to the author’s question about GP and SS tactics, YES, there IS a huge difference. Sinking an “unmanned vessel” puts human lives at risk, because you can’t trust a bunch of saboteur goons to ascertain that the ship really is unmanned. And prop fouling a ship in the middle of the Antarctic also puts lives at risk, because you’re leaving them stranded hundreds of miles from any help, and again, you can’t trust a bunch of saboteur goons to actually make sure that the crew can be rescued.
Who cares…
before they kill a whale.
whale meat is absolutely delicious
I can’t believe the Sea Sheperds are being compared to terrorists. I live in a country that suffered more than 25 years of national terrorist groups attacks and, believe me, there´s no point of comparisson between what the Sea Sheperds do with what real terrorists do. However rainforest in my country is being cut down, wildlife is slowly disappearing, and I consider those responsible of that as terrorists.
When a volunteer goes on board their asked if they would be willing to die. All volunteers share the same philosophy.
The fact is that we are in front of a conservation group that takes action, because a lot is said but little is done. So, you think killing wildlife is correct? I consider that a terrosrist act. At this moment of our history extreme measures must be taken in order to preserve nature and life in our planet. Every living being in nature is ment to play an important role. Unfortunately the only ones who just don’t understand their role or just don’t bloody care about it are human beings. We’re just ruining our planet, and as far as I’m concerned, those who are really aware of that important role and take action should not be called terrorists.
I read with great interest all the comments here about supporting TERRORISTS…not pirates, not ECO-terrorists, not bandits, Watson, notice the INTENTIONAL non-use of the word CAPTAIN, This pompous jackass has set back the LEGAL efforts to stop whaling by DECADES, while all he does is shuttle BIMBO “stars” around whilst burning fuel oil, and composing his “poetry” which is better left unread. He has no leadership abilities, and expects his flunkies to educate and train the clowns that PAY to sail with an idiot. His flunkies are no better qualified than watson is at seamanship. His tactics are the same used by other terrorists, submit or we will damage, injure, sink you. Those of you that SUPPORT these things are maggots, the same as him. You want to be able to call your own rules, and play the way YOU want, …UNTIL the target you are going after starts playing by the very same rules you’re using. I hope to overhear one of you running your mouths about supporting watson..I will then have the right to BASH YOUR HEAD in at that moment, as I am “legally taking out a terrorist supporter” same thing DIMWIT watson is trying to say… oh, BTW watson, how come you havent returned to Norway, or Iceland ? scared ? I’ve also send a donation to the fund to purchase the Farley when it hits the auction block, it’s a tired old ship, but it’ll look great as the fleet replenishment ship for the Japanese whalers…
First of all, the whaling community often has members that has flaws with the law. The whalers always has weapons in their ships. And where they hunt is practically a no man’s land (sea). They will take away anyone that got in front of them.
With all the respect i have for Greenpeace, they has become a bunch of whining kids. They do good, but what they do is ineffective. As a matter of fact, that type of actitute is what allow people like the whalers do whatever they want.
People its about time to realize that passive methods are obsolete in certain issues. Ask yourselves, would you let someone kill other people, you seeing the person doing it, and the police cannot do something? Well unless you’re a coward or just think in yourself only, you would do something or at least try. Similar sutuation happens with the Sea Shepard. And if Greenpeace care so much of people then they should change their organization and go and help them, turn it into a humans rights organization and let the people of Sea Shepard and alike do their work. Remember when words/communication don’t work, action is next. And the whaling, seal hunt,… passed the communication line long ago. So its time that people support the Sea Shepard and volunteer.
The only thing i point out of the Sea shepard is the inexperience of most of the crew. They need more experienced and mature people. Let’s support them!
The only reason that whalers run from Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd is because they know they (the whalers) can’t attack them. Both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd (and virtually all “violent” protest groups) get away with their questionable tactics is because they can rely on the legal system to scare the whalers away. The protest group has the advantage of being protected by laws against retaliation by their victims. There is nothing innately brave or courageous about anything that the protest groups are doing, and I mean Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd. No one is a hero for standing up to someone whose hands are tied behind their backs. That is in the West and lawful Asian countries. I’d like to see the environmental groups go straight into Arab countries or into the Congo, for instance, and start protesting against the treatement of the environment there. That is something we will never see because the Arabs or Congolese would kill them in a heartbeat. Whether or not we approve of the protest groups aims, their tactics are mostly cowardly. Sorry, folks, that’s the way I see it.
No Japanese whaler is going to run from a Greenpeace ship because there will not be one around to run from. They did not go to Antarctica this year and say they have no plans to go in the future.This is despite the fact that they have campaigned vigourously and raised millions of pounds specifically for this purpose.
On Boxing day this year the BBC News Channel broadcast a programme called “Jonah And The Whalers” in which a reporter accompanied Greenpeace to Antarctica during the 2007/2008 season to witness the Japanese whalers in action. The reporter said that Sea Shepherd arrived on the scene and threw acid at a whaling boat. He also said that Sea Shepherd were a violent organisation.
Anyone watching this programme would naturally assume that they meant sulphuric acid or something highly corrosive and dangerous and not rotten butter!
The fact is that Greenpeace have not only raised millions of pounds under false pretences but they are also happy to make slanderous accusations about the only people that do have the courage to stand up to the whalers. I believe that these comments were deliberately made in an attempt to starve Sea Shepherd of funds at the very time they were needed most.
Greenpeace might as well stick a harpoon on the front of their boat and go and join the Japanese, but then again there would be less profit in it.
I have been following this issue for several years now and have come to the conclusion that Greenpeace has grown to such a size that it is now more of a business then it is an activist organization.
The business Greenpeace is in is selling a myth that they actually do something about the slaughter of whales.
The business that Sea Shepherd is in is enforcing laws that governments can’t or will not enforce themselves.
It is becoming more apparent that Greenpeace is jealous about the publicity that sea Shepherd had been getting for the last few years.
It must be effecting the Greenpeace “CORPORATIONS” PROFITS………..
Greenpeace has become a joke………
Sounds like eco terrorism to me. Instilling fear into the lives of the whalers. No wonder all the actual eco groups are compared to terrorists. But it’s all justified right? Americans afraid to fly, 3000+ american deaths = America pulling out of the middle east, no more blood for oil. Whalers afraid to hunt whales, Ships sunken and rammed, people on board both these ships having their lives in endangered because some eco group wants to ram the whaling ship = No more hunted whales.
In that case, kill more americans to stop the oil greed. Destroy more whaling ships, endanger more lives onboard to end whale hunting.
mogul said:
“I suspect that the Sea Shepards program “Whale Wars” is now causing the diversion of GP donations to SS and so is causing the media war between the two.”
spot on!
I stopped donating to GP years ago and now support SSCS and so does every friend, family member and eco-envronmentalist I know and convince them to support Watson and his crew. The Japanese don’t care about world-view, protests and politics, they’ll hunt every last whale into extinction and poor GP will have no more snuff films to post on their website.
The fact that GP is not out there in the Antarctic, DOING SOMETHING, speaks volumnes.
GO SEA SHEPHERD!
What do you do when a bully continously bullies you and finally does the unthinkable and “beats you up”…YOU FIGHT BACK!
These Japanese whalers have been beating up our oceans and killing our gentle giants!
So it’s time to fight back…
GO SEA SHEPARD!!!! Sometimes it takes a percieved violent action to deal with violent people!
HOLDING UP SIGNS IS LUDACRIOUS!
I’d go toe to toe with any japanese whaler and I’m a 39 year old mother of three girls who’s a paramedic.
My job is to “help” others, which is what I’d do after I beat the hell out of em….
God Bless You All
I totally support the Sea Shepard. They are heroes in my book
I suspect that the Sea Shepards program “Whale Wars” is now causing the diversion of GP donations to SS and so is causing the media war between the two. I heard about SS about a year ago and was intriged by their methods. They are not pirates technically but they proudly display the pirate flag and use a black ship. They know the PR game and have generated more of it(good or bad) than GP has in ten years. My future donations are going to SS.
I’m sitting here watching “Whale Wars” for the first time. Yes, I think whaling should be stopped, but these Sea Shepherd yahoos are going to get somebody killed. They’re nothing more than seafaring vigilantes and are giving conservationists a bad name.
Brothers and sisters? What a moon bat! In America we’ve killed countless millions of baby HUMANS! By sucking them out of the womb limb by limb and do you whakos say anything about that. I think whales are awesome creatures an should never be harvested illegaly. But damn they are FISH! It would be the best television ever if the Japanese would turn and torpedo that moron captain.
Whales are mammals you twat! Maybe you should do a little research before putting your worthless two cents in and throwing around words like moon bat, whacko and moron.
greenpeace is just jealous of the press that the sea shepherds have been getting…
In the first place, as stated incorrectly by Marika, Greenpeace does not place its Ship between the Whaling ship and the whales, but only uses a zodiac to hold up protest signs or ride on harpooned dead whales backs for photo-opportunities. That is NOT saving whales! With all the many millions of dollars donated to GP and their Anti-whaling program over these many decades, if GP really wanted to stop whaling it would have been done a long time ago. Whaling makes millions for GP so why actually put a stop to it? Also, their “volunteers” – those people who ring and annoy you for money or hand out flyers are paid – all with YOUR donations. Greenpeace is a business. SEA SHEPHERD is run by unpaid volunteers – big difference in the two Groups. No donation money is spent on Media because SSCS does not advertise like GP does. Instead, they money goes into direct action campaigns. SSCS does more on a shoe-string budget in one year to save Marine Life than GP does in a dozen years. I had been a GP supporter since it began in the 1970’s when GP was serious about saving whales. GP no longer has my support after discovering how many millions they waste on media, paying officials, and volunteers. GO GET THEM SEA SHEPHERD! At least they actually DO they job of stopping the Whalers.
What the whalers don’t want is to be documented with eye witness accounts/video footage in the hands of people who won’t spin it their way. Whaling can continue in large part because people don’t see it happening.
That’s a good reason to not stay around in the presence of either organization. A threat of violence isn’t required to make whalers run.
The main thing most people in Greenpeace care about is the money they can get from suckers… er.. donors to support their drug habits.
I used to think differently about them until I actually WORKED for Greenpeace.
I feel that Greenpeace has become more than a little “institutionalised and proper”. Now regarded as “politically correct” by many and finding it more “comfortable” to rest on a few laurels.
My involvement in conservation over many years, a lifetime in business and direct dealings with Governments and their army of bureaucrats has taught me that, often, one has to go for the throat, grasp the nettle and not always comply with what is “right and proper”. The whole system of government and procedure is designed to stifle many of the well-intentioned. These systems are less likely to offer solace to active people even though they may be supported by an army of law-abiding citizens. As in commando-type tactics, the small size of dedicated, highly-active groups is more than compensated by their drive, commitment, determination and ability to “think outside the square”. Unlike Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace has become far too predictable – any army fighting in that vein usually fails. The small, elite corps are deployed to go for the jugular – so it is with Sea Shepherd.
Both Sea Shepherd and Greepeace need to bury any differences and let’s “get on with the job” – the fractious in-fighting is ruining our collective chances of success.
Sadly, I must conclude, that in this instance I believe Greenpeace is being quite foolish in its approach and I put this down to too many intellects in its midst more prone to use process rather than more direct action. Process, after all has been set up by bureaucrats, to largely entrench wayward political thinking. It is slow, lumbering, frustrating and incapable of responding quickly to the fast-deteriorating natural disasters all too evident around us. We need action not more verbal gymnastics.
Greenpeace bury your “snobbery” and tap the enthusiasm of Sea Shepherd. The ridiculous “Mexican stand-ff” between both parties MUST end – pronto!
Bob
New Zealand
I don’t know about the Sea Sheppards. They ran one of their ships into a Canadian Coast Guard ship last year for the sea hunt.
And they did. Don’t tell me they didn’t I saw the damage.
Nathan- On top of what Alex said about both organizations causing Japan to miss its quota, they also causes Japan to literally reduce its target for the first time in 20 years
http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/11/18/greenpeace-japan-cuts-whale-hunt-quota/
Gram42,
There are six different ships in the Japanese whaling fleet. If one is disabled, it usually is only temporary. But assuming that it is permanent damage, why couldn’t one of the other ships simply pick up the crew members? They also have small boats on the ship for emergencies they could use.
And how exactly does it send any message other than “stop killing whales”? That’s all they’re doing in the Antarctic, they’re not also fishing.
-Alex
whatever it takes to stop whaling is fine by me. direct action brings about change. keep on keeping on defending our beautiful brothers and sisters of the sea!
Disabling a ship at sea definitely poses a risk to the lives of the crew. If a ship is not under power at sea there is always a chance that it could get into a dangerous situation.
Disabling a ship also sends a needlessly strong statement. Instead of saying “don’t kill whales or other sea mammals” they are saying “don’t go fishing. Period.”
well screw them both, i think the whalers should have a shiny .50 cal mounted on their brow and perforate those damn hippies.
Nathan,
Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace have both helped cause the Japanese to miss their whaling quota the last two years.
-Alex
Look, Sea Shepard is a bunch a pirates, and they will get what’s coming to them. I by no means support whaling, but having seen what Sea Shepard is doing, they’re totally undermining their own movement.
What’s going to happen when the Sea Shepard does sink a whaling ship causing a serious loss of life? How will that aid the cause? All its going to do, is formally move Sea Shepard into being called pirates, and give Japan the political will to use military force against greenpeace and the like.
Back in the 80’s when the french sank the rainbow warrior, what largely gave Greenpeace support was the fact that up until then they had been non-violent. That’s why Greenpeace, however irritating they are, is still widely supported. However, as soon as violence is being used against a non-violent adversary(the Japanese haven’t exactly been seeking out Sea Shepard ships to sink them), you’re really asking for trouble.
Honestly, I hope that Sea Shepard is interdicted by a coastguard vessel or something and put under arrest before they kill someone.
Are you kidding me? Fouling a prop at sea in the south pacific is dangerous for everyone on that ship. Throwing stuff onto the deck in the hopes of having a man slip into the water where he would be dead in minutes is violence. The Sea Shepard and it’s crew are pirates and should be tried and jailed. The forced a boarding of a third party vessel at sea and should be glad the Japanese don’t want the publicity cause if you forced a boarding of my ship I would shoot you.
Listen whaling is bad and I hope is stops, but Greenpeace, Sea Shepard and the like have never in there history stopped them from taking their full quota of whales, all they have done is put people in danger. The only way this will ever stop is by changing the law not by attacks at sea.
Both are extremist eco-terrorism groups if you ask me. Thus, they are in the same category anyway.
When an organization like Greenpeace takes issue with violence of another “earth-centric” organization, you *know* something is amiss. As aggressive as Greenpeace is, their distancing themselves from the Sea Shepherd is a clear indication of being too aggressive.