My name is Josh Harper. I am one of two animal rights
activists currently facing felony charges for intervening in the killing
of a gray whale. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell everyone who
reads Animal Rights Online about the situation in Neah Bay.
As most of you know members of the Makah Nation have
recently begun hunting whales in the Olympic Peninsula off the coast of
Washington State. They claim an ancestral right to do this, and it is
true that their ancestors did sign a treaty protecting their "right" to
kill whales. However, their methods of killing are far from tribal, and
many members of the tribe remain opposed to the hunt. When one looks
closely it is easy to see this hunt for what it is -- a macho display of
dominance over nature.
First and foremost the Makah tribe has no sustenance
need for whales, and has never traditionally eaten gray whales. GRE
whales are bottom feeders, their blubber tastes very bad and
traditionally indigenous people would use them for oil or ivory. Very
few members of the tribe are actually benefiting from the murder of the
whale, and those members who oppose the kill have been terrorized. One
elder member of the tribe had to flee the reservation in fear for her
life. Her dog was found beaten to death nearly one mile from her home,
and her family members have been threatened as well. The richest members
of the tribe are exploiting the poorest members of the tribe to make
this hunt a reality.
Last March Sea Defense Alliance returned to the waters
of Neah Bay to patrol for whalers and protect the whales. Our all vegan
crew camped out in a small cabin for nearly two months, rising early in
the mornings to get dressed and ready for duty. We were alone at first,
with no other groups in the water for most of the season.
One morning on our patrol Jake Conroy and myself were
riding in a 19 foot inflatable zodiac when we spotted whalers sneaking
along the coastline. They were towing the tribal canoe with the
not-so-tribal-speedboat. We radioed our flagship, Bulletproof, that the
hunt had began.
For the next several hours Jake and myself placed our
bodies between the whales and the guns of the hunters. We used smoke
canisters to obscure the vision of the whalers and air horns to distract
them. Every time they lifted a harpoon we were there, every time a gun
was pointed we were in the way. It took a military force to remove us
from the waters -- the US Coast Guard, who have thus far spent more than
15 million tax payer dollars aiding and abetting the murder of whales,
took us out of the hunting grounds and placed us under arrest. Before we
knew it we were in jail, being charged with felony assault for allegedly
using flares and fire extinguishers to distract the killers.
Days after a court order prevented Jake and I from
returning to the coast, whalers killed a 3 year old female. The child
they murdered with an anti tank gun was then dragged onto a beach where
men did back flips off her lifeless body. She was carved up by members
of the National Marine Fisheries Service (at tax payer expense) and
pieces of her body were eaten by children, who washed down the salty fat
with cans of cherry coke. When local people in opposition to the hunt
built a memorial to "Baby," as the murdered whale has come to be known,
three men destroyed their work. Two members of the coast guard and one
member of the Makah tribe were arrested for vandalizing the memorial.
Sea Defense Alliance plans to continue our work in Neah
Bay. The arrests and possible jail sentences for Jake and I will not
deter us from taking direct action. Unlike other groups on the waters of
Neah Bay, we are all vegan, and believe in the philosophy of animal
liberation. Our goal is not simply to "conserve" whales so that people
may enjoy looking at them. We want them free for their own sakes, to
enjoy their lives with as little interference as possible. The natural
world is dying, and so long as those responsible go unpunished, Sea
Defense Alliance will be the grassroots navy of the animal rights and
environmental movement.
Jake and I will likely go to trial on October 4th. If we
are found guilty it is likely that we will be sentenced to at least 90
days in jail. This will keep us from stopping the next hunt. The Makah
can kill many more whales on their illegal permit, and talks have begun
about starting "family hunts." Sea Defense Alliance is in need of
support to feed and house activists, fuel our boats, and continue all of
our other vital work. Also be sure to look on the web for more
information about the hunt.
For more information --
Sea Defense Alliance
PO Box 401
Williams, OR 97544
http://www.stopwhalekill.org
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