On Sunday. March 26th, an inflatable boat with six crewmembers from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and a reporter from Reuters was deliberately rammed by a sealing boat. The inflatable was forced up on an ice flow and the prop was damaged.
Although the incident was observed by Canadian Fisheries officers, no charges were laid against the sealers. Instead the officers arrested the six HSUS members and the reporter alleging they were within 10 meters of sealers which in Canada is against the law even if a citizen has a permit to document the killing. The real reason for the arrest was to seize the evidence. The video, digital images and film were confiscated.
The crew were then released. Roger Simond said an investigation will be held to determine if charges will be laid against the seven people. There is no investigation into the complaint that the sealers rammed the inflatable boat. To lay a complaint against the sealers, the assaulted HSUS crew need to file charges with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Mounties require documentation as evidence. This documentation is now in the hands of Federal Fisheries Officers. How convenient.
Rebecca Aldworth of HSUS said they did not violate the regulations. According to Rebecca, the sealers turned and attacked her crew. When the sealers rammed the inflatable they came within 10 meters of the HSUS people. As a result the HSUS people have been cited although it was the sealers that approached them. Earlier the sealers had approached the HSUS inflatable and sealers tossed bloody seal intestines and gore at the seal defenders.
This is of course typical of how law enforcement is heavily biased in favor of seal killers.
From Captain Paul Watson
Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (1977)
Co-Founder of Greenpeace International (1979)
Co-Founder of the Greenpeace Foundation (1972)
National Director of the Sierra Club USA (2003-2006)
Director of the Farley Mowat Institute irector of the Farley Mowat Institute
http://www.seashepherd.org/
