Feature story - June 29, 2008
Mister Splashy Pants just heard that two of his Greenpeace pals have been arrested. He, too, is amazed that they've been locked up for exposing the truth -- and he's going to do something about it. Are you?
Whalebreak: Free the Tokyo Two
Two Greenpeace activists expose an embezzlement scandal involving whale meat which is costing Japanese taxpayers millions of yen. Forty cops swoop down on the Greenpeace offices to arrest the Greenpeace activists instead of the criminals.
A global storm follows: hundreds of thousand of supporters write to the Japanese government. Diplomatic protests are lodged by whale-friendly governments. Vigils and demonstrations are held outside Japanese embassies worldwide.
The story prompts people all around the world to take extraordinary action. Now another hero steps up to do what must be done. Help Mister Splashy Pants free the Tokyo Two.
Who is this Mister Splashy Pants dude, you ask? In the real world, he's a humpback whale we tracked with a satellite tag heading from the Solomon Islands toward the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary -- that safe haven in which the Japanese government kills around 1,000 whales every year for "scientific research." He was named in an online competition in which his share of the 100,000 votes clobbered all rivals.
At the time, Japanese whalers were heading toward the Southern Ocean planning to add humpbacks to the whale species they kill every year. Public pressure from whale supporters worldwide brought diplomatic protest to bear, however, and the Japanese backed down on plans to kill humpbacks -- for now, anyway. (They still kill minke and fin whales, but our direct non-violent actions helped ensure they killed fewer of them this year.)
Mister Splashy Pants was saved by whale activists like you, Junichi and Toru. So he reckoned it was time to return the favour. Help him out by spreading the word: Free the Tokyo Two!
Take action
Demand the release of Junichi and Toru, and an end to Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean.
Donate
Your donations help us keep our activists in the field. They also help get them out of jail. Please give whatever you can.