Green Party Call for a stop to Whaling

Tuesday 11th of January 2011, small crowds gather at a Green Party stall in Cuba Mall Wellington in demonstration against Japanese whaling in the South Seas.

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The Cuba Mall stall represents the first of many which will be opened throughout New Zealand by Green Party MP Gareth Hughes. “Numerous towns and cities throughout New Zealand have a sister city relationship with a Japanese city.”

The Green Party asked passersby to sign letters and then fold the letters into origami whales addressed to Wellington’s Japanese sister city, Sakai. The demonstration appeared to be popular with children and journalists and came only a day after the crew of Sea Sheppard were criticised by Japanese officials for throwing missiles at a research vessel.

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Whales face a number of threats including climate change, marine pollution, by-catch, and poorly regulated whale watching industries, however, the number one threat to whales in the Southern Ocean is continued commercial whaling by Japan. It was thought that Wellington was a good place to begin the tour because Wellingtonians love whales, and many hope they will once again become regular visitors to our harbour.

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All of the oragami whales are to be sent to Wellington's Japanese sister city Sakai, Japan, to invite our Japanese friends to help stop their government from killing our friends of the deep.

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