Reykjavik has decided to expel and impose a lifetime entry ban on two dozen eco-activists from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
On Wednesday, the police stated that the government had ordered the expulsion of 21 anti-whaling activists, including Americans, Brazilians, French and Spaniards, and requested a ban on their return to Iceland.
“All crew members of the Bandero have now been served with notice of a decision on expulsion and a re-entry ban,” said police spokesman Gunnar Runar Sveinbjornsson, adding that all the activists had been charged with “suspected violations of international maritime law and endangering maritime security.”
The action comes after 21 activists from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation were arrested last week for obstructing the operations of one of Iceland’s last remaining whaling vessels, the Hvalur 9. One person on board the Bandero has said that the activists had tried to ram the whaling vessel but were too slow to do so, and instead launched an inflatable boat to deploy a net that would damage the vessel’s propellers.
The foundation has said that the detention of the crew members was disproportionate and condemned the confiscation of their mobile phones. Until today, the activists had been on board the vessel in the port of Reykjavik, but on Wednesday the police said that they had now been allowed to leave the vessel.
Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only countries where commercial whaling is permitted, nonetheless, Reykjavik intends to review this practice by introducing a bill this autumn to restrict whaling. Meanwhile, Iceland is preparing for a vote on resuming negotiations on accession to the European Union, and EU law strictly prohibits such hunting.
