Police have arrested a Sea Shepherd activist for attacking a helpless statue of an innocent whaler, badly bending its harpoon in the process.
Wakayama prefecture police arrested a 25-year-old German “gardener” for property damage in connection with an attack on a statue in a Taiji town park.
The statue in question was a 3m tall bronze figure the whaling obsessed township had erected in commemoration of its only significant industry, depicting a fisherman rising out of his boat with harpoon raised to strike a threatening whale.
The man had apparently dangled from its harpoon, bending it in the process. He claims that he “didn’t mean to damage it.”
Local residents spotted him interfering with the statue that afternoon, and police found him nearby. He admitted damaging the statue during questioning, and was promptly arrested.
Police have identified him as being connected to eco-terrorist outfit Sea Shepherd. He had reportedly only been in Japan for 3 days prior to his arrest.