Part 1 of 2
Friday was a day of international action urging the International Olympic Committee to refuse Japan the 2020 Olympics and raise awareness about the ongoing dolphin slaughter. (The dolphin drives in Taiji, Japan, which serve both the marine park and meat industries, are described at
http://www.thecovemovie.com/.) Demonstrations occurred in 46 cities around the world. In Los Angeles, a protest and awareness-building campaign was held outside the Japanese Consulate at 350 South Grand Avenue. About 30 people participated--in the middle of a weekday--during the hour that this author was there (the event lasted three hours). Fancy flyers were distributed, petitions circulated (four pages of them got signed), and there was plenty of chanting.
Organizers underscored that this is not a campaign against the Japanese people or a call to boycott them. In fact, Japanese citizens are starting to protest the slaughter, too. (The Oscar-winning documentary The Cove explains that this issue was kept secret even from the Japanese people for a long time. The Cove was barely seen in that country.) Rather, it is those in powerful positions that are being targeted.
However, participants were encouraged to promote boycotting Sea World, and some did. “Taiji is Ground Zero for supplying dolphins to marine parks worldwide,” one of the organizers said. (Incidentally, this documentary details aquatic parks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qggEfjj609M&list=FL1sHLxlEicoSBykSPDrsjbg&index=12, though, the focus is “Lolita” a killer whale at Miami Seaquarium and a campaign to free her*.
Documentation of these protests and the petitions will be given to the International Olympic Committee.
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*Even though she's been at Seaquarium for 40+ years, if she was returned to her pod, she'd be welcomed as a family member and would be equipped to survive.
