ACTIVISTS have thrown acid at a Japanese whaling boat as hostilities reach boiling point on the Southern Ocean.   

Anti-whaling protesters from the Steve Irwin used rubber dinghies to get close enough to throw bottles of vile-smelling butyric acid at the Yushin Maru 2, the Herald Sun reported.

The harpoon ship retaliated by firing its water pump at them.

The activists also fixed hooks and wires to the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru 2, which is holding three Australians captive.

An Australian Customs ship is powering south to collect the protesters, who boarded the vessel off Fremantle earlier this week.

The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, representing the whalers, said the latest attacks were "dangerous and violent".

It said the Steve Irwin crew threw more than 20 bottles containing butyric acid and paint, seven of which reached the Yushin Maru's deck.

Butyric acid is a noxious, nausea-inducing repellent used before by anti-whaling protesters as well as by anti-abortion protesters to disrupt abortion clinics.

The institute said the activists also deployed ropes to try to entangle and disable the Japanese vessel's rudder and propeller.

It called on the international community to restrain the activists and "deal with their criminal actions".

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Captain Paul Watson defended the acid attack, saying that killing whales was the real criminal act.   

"They're accusing us of violence but we're not the ones with the concussion grenades and the accoustical weapons and the guns - they are."   

He said Sea Shepherd's two ships had distracted two of the three harpoon boats, cutting the number of whales being killed.

"That leaves them with one harpoon boat to work with and they're constantly moving because we're chasing them," he said.

"So it's working out to be quite a successful year." 

The Opposition yesterday harpooned a Greens proposal that would have required the Gillard Government to send a patrol ship to monitor the Japanese whaling fleet.

Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt made it clear the Bill was unlikely to win support from the coalition.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/world/activists-in-high-seas-assault-on-japanese-whalers/story-e6frfkyi-1226243082068#ixzz1jHMYMlrO

The real shame about the bears in China, is that genuine people who want to protest and abort buying stuff made in China cannot do it, because "everything" is now made in China. We cannot even protest by having an alternative place to buy our stuff from!!

Shame on Australia, Shame!!

As the Gillard Government affords this organization Tax Free Status and shelter, they are fully responsible for the hostile, violent terrorist activities of aggressive Piracy of this multinational corporation against Japan on the high seas.

Someones going to end up dead if this carry-on continues. 

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yes, they've GOT them, but they are showing restraint by not using them on you.  Goad them at your own peril.

There is no reason to suppose that as the Julia Gillard Government gives aid and support to the aggressive Sea Shepherd corp, that she is not as responsible for their violence as if she gave the order herself as Prime Minister.

Sir lastnail wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 5:27pm:



You don't think an exploding harpoon in the head would cause a pretty quick death? 

cods wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 9:12am:


Glad to see you're persuing that one cods. It's a worthy cause and someone should stand up for the bears.

corporate_whitey wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 6:27pm: