OK, let’s start here

Anne Mather Mercury February 21, 2009 12:00am
POLICE boarded the anti-whaling ship Steve Irwin when it arrived in Hobart last night and confiscated the ship’s log book and video footage. The film depicts some of the most dramatic whale-killing scenes ever seen, crew on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship said. After violent clashes with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, the Steve Irwin was met by Australian Federal Police when it docked in Hobart about 5.30pm. The police, who had search warrants, kept the crew on board as they searched cabins. Steve Irwin captain Paul Watson said he was not told whether the police action stemmed from a complaint by the Australian Government or from the Japanese. He said the Steve Irwin had never been searched before but he would welcome any charges that led to the crew facing a court. “My position is that if they want to put me on trial for anything connected with this, then I am happy to do it,” Capt Watson said. “We are not there protesting, we are down there to stop a blatantly criminal activity, to stop whaling in a whale sanctuary. “These actions have to go to court somewhere, so let’s start it here.” Read more here
Mark Worley Sunday Tasmanian
THE Federal Government is tight-lipped about involvement in a police raid on an anti-whaling ship in Hobart. Mystery surrounds events leading up to the raid on Friday night on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s ship Steve Irwin, which has spent the summer chasing Japanese whaling vessels in Antarctic waters. Australian Federal Police officers executed a search warrant at 5.30pm on Friday and collected evidence for about three hours while crew were detained in their cabins. Steve Irwin Captain Paul Watson said most of the evidence was video footage by Animal Planet documentary makers, who have been recording the summer’s whale wars from the ship. It is not known who made the official complaint to the AFP, only that it came from “Japanese authorities”. Read more here
Greens …
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GREENS WELCOME STEVE IRWIN’S SAFE RETURN TO HOBART
And Congratulate Newly-Wed Sea Shepherds
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
Saturday, 21 February 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed the safe return to Hobart of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, and their ship Steve Irwin, and congratulated the activists for their heroic obstruction of Japanese whaling efforts in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary off Antarctica.

Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said the Sea Shepherd activists are doing the job of the Rudd Labor Government which was elected in 2007 while talking tough about whaling, but which has since done very little to back up its pre-election words with post-election action.

Mr McKim also congratulated Sea Shepherd activists Andrew Perry and Molly Kendall who were married on Scott Island in the Ross Sea just last week by Steve Irwin captain Paul Watson, and presented the new couple with a wedding gift on behalf of the Tasmanian community.

“Tasmania is extremely well represented onboard the Steve Irwin by Ashley Dunn from Launceston and Andrew Perry who has been based in Hobart, and I have the pleasure of presenting a hamper of gourmet Tasmanian produce for Andrew and his new wife Molly Kendall, who were married last week by Steve Irwin Captain Paul Watson,” Mr McKim said.

“The Steve Irwin crew have spent most of the last two months at sea off Antarctica risking their own lives to save whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary – there is no doubt that these activists are heroes.”

“Given the Australian public’s strong opposition to whaling, many will be astounded by the unprecedented raid upon the Steve Irwin by the Australian Federal Police when it docked last night.”

“The Australian government should focus its attention on dealing with the Japanese whalers who are breaching the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with impunity, rather than hassle the Sea Shepherd.”

“The Japanese whalers upped the ante this season by engaging in aggressive attempts to ram the Steve Irwin, to foul its propellers with ropes, and to injure its crew with long range acoustic weapons, but the activists continued their mission despite the life-threatening behaviour of the Japanese whalers.”

“Sea Shepherd are now doing the job that Australians expected their own government to do when they elected Kevin Rudd in 2007.”

Mr McKim also noted that Sea Shepherd activists are regularly accused by Japan of acting “illegally” in their attempts to prevent whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, and called on the Bartlett Labor Government to cease playing the same political game as the whalers, who focus only on the supposed legality of protests while pointedly ignoring their root causes and potential solutions.