Anonymous shut down the main Tokyo airport website in response to the arrest of an American anti-whaling activist. For several hours over the last weekend Narita airport went offline after a DDos attack.
The retaliation came at a time when Richard O’Barry, an American dolphin trainer turned activist was detained by Japanese authorities mid-January, after officials refused him entry into the country.
“The Japanese government is cracking down on those who oppose their war on dolphins,” says Ric O’Barry, through his son, Lincoln O’Barry. “I’m incarcerated on trumped-up charges, just like in Taiji last August. For the past 72 hours, I have been behind bars in a detention facility, yet I have broken no laws.”
O’Barry became an animal rights activist shortly after he witnessed one of the dolphins he trained for the hit show “Flipper” die in his arms. Convinced the dolphin committed suicide, his life turned direction to activist and documentary maker, exposing the brutality against dolphins. After visiting Taiji 13 years ago, he has since dedicated his life to ending the slaughter at the cove.
“Dolphins are not automatic air breathers,” he says. “Every breath for them is a conscious effort. She looked me right in the eye, took a breath and held it. She just sank to the bottom of the water. That had a profound effect on me. So the next day I started a campaign to stop the capture of dolphins. It was Flipper’s death that made me realise that dolphins shouldn’t be in captivity,” O’Barry said of “Flipper” and his turning point in 1970.
The since vocal critic of whaling and dolphin hunting has been a target every time he travelled to Japan. Immigration authorities have not commented on why his tourist visa was refused, but speculation suggests it was due to his anti-whaling activism. The move by Anonymous to shut down the website was downplayed by officials, saying customer’s personal information wasn’t at risk and flights not delayed.
Anonymous have been focusing on Japan since their announcement to resume whaling this year after a year-long hiatus.
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