Sea Shepherd protesters in contempt of court for 'dangerous' anti-whaling campaign
Radical environmentalists who threw acid and smoke bombs at Japanese whalers have been found in contempt of court for continuing their campaign to disrupt the annual whale hunt off Antarctica.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a commissioner to determine how much Paul Watson and members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society he founded owe Japanese whalers for lawyer fees, damage to their ships and for violating the court order to stop their dangerous protests.
The Japanese whalers are demanding US$2 million in addition to their attorney fees and damage and cost to their ships for warding off the protests.
The environmentalists' exploits have been documented on the long-running Animal Planet reality TV series . Sea Shepherd said it was disappointed with the ruling and considering its legal options.The Japanese whalers filed a lawsuit in Seattle in 2011 seeking a court order to stop the Sea Shepherd's campaign.
In 2012, the court ordered Sea Shepherd to stay at least 152 metres from Japanese whalers and to halt dangerous activities like attempting to ram the whalers and throwing smoke bombs and bottles of acid at their ships.
The crews of Sea Shepherd ships also drag metal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers and rudders, launch flares with hooks, and point high-powered lasers at the whalers to annoy crew members.
After the 2012 ruling, Watson transferred all of Sea Shepherd's US assets to foreign entities controlled by the group. Sea Shepherd has organisations in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Watson also stepped down from the board of directors of Sea Shepherd organisations in the US and Australia. Sea Shepherd Australia took over management of the group's annual harassment campaign of the whalers in the Southern Ocean.
