Sea Shepherd Crew Members Assaulted by Sealers and Arrested!

Posted April 1, 2005 · April 1, 2005

Sea Shepherd Crew Members Assaulted by Sealers and Arrested! 3:21 PM

Please pass on

Captain Paul Watson’s reports from the bridge of the Farley Mowat:

1400 Hours AST - Nineteen Sea Shepherd crew are on the ice approaching the

sealing vessel Brady Mariner. The Coast Guard vessel Amundsen has dispatched a

helicopter towards our crew. The crew are approximately one half a nautical mile

from the Farley Mowat. I informed the Fisheries Officer on the Amundsen that

they were not in violation because no one is sealing. They said they were. We

see no evidence of this. The Coast Guard helicopter has just flown over the

Farley Mowat towards the crew and landed near them then took off again.

At 1405 Hours AST - Seven of our international volunteer crew members, including

Lisa Moises, Lisa Shalom, Jon Batchelor, Jonny Vasic, Jerry Vlasak, Adrian

Haley, and Ian Robichaud, were assaulted by sealers from the sealing vessel

Brady Mariner.

They were punched and hit with clubs and hakapiks.

1415 Hours AST - The crew are returning to the ship. A Coast Guard helicopter

has landed by some of the crew. They may be arresting them.

I have officially requested that assault charges be brought against the sealers.

They will most likely ignore my request. The bottom line is that crew members

were taking pictures and they were assaulted and injured.

1430 Hours AST – Some of the crew have made it back to the ship but not all of

them. The Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen has pulled up behind the Farley Mowat,

cutting thru the ice to cut off the rest of the crew from getting back on the

Farley Mowat. The crew still on the ice are being arrested.

1520 Hours AST - The Farley Mowat is under attack. 11 crewmembers have been

arrested by the Mounted Police for taking pictures of sealers.

We are asking everyone to contact the media

" Better to have one freedom too many than to have one freedom too few. "

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