Feature story - 23 April, 2002
Around the world today, Greenpeace activists are delivering empty whale meat boxes to Japanese embassies.
Eighty protesters walk through Vienna to the Japanese embassy, to protest Japan's continued whaling.
Made to look like the ones used by the Japanese whaling fleet,
the boxes highlight the commercial reality of so-called
"scientific" whaling.
In New Zealand, a "whale meat" delivery van pulled up in front
of the Japanese Embassy. Whale meat boxes where used to build a
wall that said, "Whales are NOT for Sale" on the front.
In Berlin, Greenpeace unloaded truckloads of whale meat boxes,
and stacked them in front of the Japanese embassy. Yesterday, in
Austria, 80 protestors sporting white uniforms and white painted
faces shouldered their burden of whale tails and whale meat boxes
on sticks and stood in silent vigil in front of the Japanese
embassy.
In Tokyo, a petition signed by marine and cetacean biologists
from around the world calling upon the government to end its
scientific whaling was delivered to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. In Australia, there was a display of Butoh dancing by
artists in white body paint on a red carpet in front of the
Japanese consulate in Sydney. Butoh combines modern and traditional
Japanese dance styles.
The protests will continue in other countries throughout the
day.