All true. “at bay” seems unwilling to admit that the Ady Gil is at fault. He seems to imply he knows something about the sea and ships, yet seems to be ignorant of the laws and rules regarding piracy and right of way.
Sea Shepherd has laid claim to ramming and sinking more than one vessel and somehow at bay seems to be deluded in thinking that
“of course we cannot do such a thing because Sea Shepherd has a responsibility to stay within the boundaries of the law and, in keeping with our strict policy of nonviolence, to not cause injury to those we oppose. We have an unblemished record in this regard and it is a record we intend to keep.”
Au Contraire
Source: The High North News Extra, no. 7. April 10, 1994
Sea Shepherd Review ...... including extracts from previous editions of the High North News
Sea Shepherd’s Record of Violence
1977: Paul Watson, one of the founder members of Greenpeace, was expelled from the organisation after a campaign against sealing during which he threw the sealers clubs and skins into the sea. His actions temporarily cost Greenpeace their tax-exemption status in the US.
1977: Paul Watson establishes the Sea Shepherd organisation.
1979: A Sea Shepherd vessel rams the whaler Sierra.
1980: The Sierra is sunk in Lisbon harbour with the help of limpet mines. Sea Shepherd claims responsibility.
1981: Sea Shepherd sinks the two whaling vessels, Ibsa I and Ibsa II, in the Spanish harbour of Viga (Sole source Sea Shepherd. This has not been confirmed by any other source)
.
1986: Sea Shepherd activists shoot at Faroese police with a line rifle and try to sink their rubber dinghies.
The vessel Sea Shepherd was ordered to leave Faroese territorial waters after attempting to obstruct the Faroese pilot whale harvest. The vessel ignored the order, and Faroese police tried unsuccessfully to board the ship. In the police report of Oct. 7,1986, it says: One of the rubber dinghies was attacked directly by a so called Speed Line line rifle. The attack is considered to have endangered the lives of the police crew members seriously ... also, signal flares containing phosphorous (a substance which both burns and cauterizes) was thrown at the police. At a later stage the Sea Shepherd used so called toads (i.e. rotating iron spikes, pointed and sharp at both ends), against the rubber dinghies .. petrol was poured over the side of the ship ... whereupon signal flares were thrown from the Sea Shepherd in a miscarried attempt to set the petrol on fire. Sea Shepherd accused the Faroese police of having shot at them with rifles. The police emphasize in their report that they only used tear gas and gas cartridges from shotguns.
1986: Sea Shepherd claims responsibility for the sinking of two whaling vessels in Reykjavik, Iceland, and for malicious damage to the whaling station not far from the town. The act was carried out by two US citizens, one of them, Rodney Corronado, is now wanted in the US for several incidents of serious animal rights terrorism.
1988: Paul Watson arrives in Iceland demanding to be held responsible for the sinking of the whaling vessels in Reykjavik in 1986. He is arrested and held for questioning. He realizes that he can risk facing several years imprisonment. In a press release from the Icelandic Ministry of Justice it says: At questioning Paul Watson has admitted that he has given some remarks that connect him with the sabotage, but in spite of this he now claims that he neither took part in the planning nor the execution of the sabotage. There was no evidence incriminating Watson. He was ordered to leave the country and declared persona non grata in Iceland
1991: Mr A. Ferreira, A US crew member on a Mexican fishing vessel, reports to his senator that Sea Shepherd rammed his vessel causing considerable damage. Some of Sea Shepherds crew were armed with rifles. Senator John Seymour replies: Your situation does not fall under my jurisdiction. I have therefore forwarded your letter to the American Tunaboat Association.
1991: Scott Trimmingham, president of Sea Shepherd quits in protest. We had rules about not hurting anyone, about not using weapons. I left because those rules and that philosophy seems to be changing, he said to Outside magazine (Sept. 1991).
Paul Watson admits that there are arms on board Sea Shepherd. We confront dangerous people. As the captain, it is my responsibility to protect the lives of my crew ... Therefore, I have prepared myself for the possibility of defending my crew in a situation that could go never occur, but if it does I will use firearms to first intimidate and then to defend, said Watson to the Los Angeles Free Weekly (April 24, 1992).
Seattle Times columnist Alston Chase comments thus on Sea Shepherds relationship to weapons: The business of Sea Shepherd is confrontation, whereby these sailor activists try to provoke others to attack. Crying self-defence in these circumstances is like the gunfighter who starts a quarrel to justify duelling his enemy. (The Seattle Times, July 1, 1991).
1992: Sea Shepherd makes unsuccessful attempts at ramming three Costa Rican fishing vessels. In a written complaint to the local authorities the fishermen report that the Sea Shepherd crew shot at them with bullets containing a red substance, hitting two of them and causing them great pain.
1992: Sea Shepherd makes unsuccessful attempt at scuttling the combined minke whaling and fishing vessel “Nybræna” at her moorings in the Lofoten Islands. The vessel was salvaged, but the water had caused considerable damage.
1993: Paul Watson orders the crew on board the Sea Shepherd vessel Edward Abbey (formerly US Navy) to open cannon fire at a Japanese fishing vessel.
The following transcript stems from the 1993 Yorkshire Television documentary Defenders of the Wild - Ocean Rider
Paul Watson (over the radio): We are going to ram you!
Stand clear!
A Taiwanese drift-netter (over the radio): Why are you
crushing our ship?
Paul Watson: You are killing too many dolphins ..
and you insulted us by calling us creeps.
From another confrontation with a Japanese fishing vessel:
Narrator: Sea Shepherd is ready to ram again.
Now Paul Watson wants the Edward Abbey to fire directly
at the drift-netters.
Watson: Fire a couple in the stern right at the water line.
Nobodys there.
Narrator: To the relief of many of the crew members the
order is not carried out. The Edward Abbey fires a cannon
shot across its bow. Still the Japanese ship does not stop.”
1993: Sea Shepherd makes an unsuccesful attempt at scuttling the combined minke whaling and fishing vessel “Senet” at her moorings in Gressvik. The vessel was salvaged, but the water had caused some damage.
1993: Sea Shepherd concludes that the organisation has sunk 8 ships and rammed and damaged a further 6.
Dismissed from the IWC
After the sinking of the Icelandic whaling vessels in 1986, Sea Shepherd lost its status as observer at the IWC. The organisation claims that it is merely enforcing IWC rules. In February 1994, IWC Secretary, Ray Gambell, declared to NTB (the Norwegian Telegram Agency) that the IWC and all its member states ardently condemn Sea Shepherds acts of terrorism.
ANTI-WHALING ship the Steve Irwin has rammed a Japanese whaling vessel.
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/02/06/54051_todays-news.html
Sea Shepherd’s ‘Robert Hunter’ rams Kaiko Maru, Feb. 12, 2007:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=761732
Yet at bay seems to enjoy trying to excuse these criminal actions.
He also equates whaling with that attack on the young lady in the subway.
He declares that he wouldn’t stand by.
Well, he’s standing by while Sea Shepard commits crimes, endangers lives, shoots at people, commits property damage, and yet claims they are innocent?
He’s like the criminal that gets caught and says, “I wasn’t doin’ nuthin’ to nobody!”
Avast. Well, shiver me timbers. Hang im from the yardarm! This Scurvy Dog has no more business on FR. Well what are we waiting for. Is he gonna walk the plank or not?
IBTZ!