Greenpeace manga-girl Stina met the head secretary of the Japanese embassy in snowy Stockholm, but only if the "potentially dangerous" flowers were left outside the gates. We delivered our message - we love Japan, but whaling is meaningless and breaks our hearts.
In Tokyo, Greenpeace volunteers carried a giant Valentine's
card, addressed
to pro-whaling members of the International Whaling Commission
(IWC),
currently meeting to discuss "normalising" the Commission, which
read:
"Normalization Means Protection, Not Whaling".
Check it out on Ocean Defenders TV ("To Japan, With Love").
A fax was also sent to the Nisshin Maru - the factory ship of
the whaling fleet, which read:
"We Love Japan, but Whaling Breaks Our Hearts! 69 percent of
your fellow Japanese do not support what you are doing in the
Sanctuary and there is virtually no market for what you are
producing. The "research" you have been ordered to carry out is not
wanted by scientists and the meat is not wanted by the Japanese
people. On this Valentine's Day, a day for spreading love we ask
once again that you leave the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and
return to port."
Elsewhere, flowers, hearts, chocolates, kisses, whale-watching
discounts and romantic gondola trips were delivered by Greenpeace
activists to embassies and tourists in France, Germany, Chile,
Italy, Australia, Argentina, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands,
Costa Rica, Fiji, Guatemala, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Russia,
Uruguay, Ireland and the US. (Check out the
happy snaps from around the world!)
To Japan, with love
"This is not just frivolous fun. We want to send a clear message
that we are not anti Japanese, we simply oppose whaling," said
Junichi Sato, whales campaign leader in Greenpeace Japan. "We know
that 69 percent of Japanese
do not support what their government is doing in the Southern
Ocean and 95 percent never or rarely eat whale meat. Whaling does
not belong in the 21st century and the only way forward for the IWC
is to start working for the whales and not the whalers," Sato
added.
Our ship the Esperanza is in the Southern Ocean right now,
pursuing the whaling fleet. But you can campaign with us - take
action now at whales.greenpeace.org.
Send a Valentine!
Send a Valentine to a friend and show your love for the whales!
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