Japanese injured after Sea Shepherd acid attack

Three Japanese whalers have suffered minor injuries after yet another violent attack from the radical animal rights group Sea Shepherd: The protest boats, which sail under Dutch and Togolese flags, had earlier targeted its factory ship the Nisshin Maru ? nicknamed ?the floating abbatoir? by Sea Shepherd activitists ? and had been following it for several days in the lead up to the skirmish yesterday afternoon. ?The Dutch and Togolese ships continued for several hours their attack launching many butyric-acid projectiles and smoke bombs against the Nisshin Maru,? the institute said in a statement. The Bob Barker repeatedly fired a high-power illegal laser weapon against the Japanese crew. The Bob Barker also came directly across the bow of the Nisshin Maru deploying wire hawsers intended to sabotage its rudder and propeller. ?At about 2300 hours, three of the Shonan Maru No. 2 sailors who were readying to prevent any activist illegal boarding became victims of the Sea Shepherd projectiles, receiving acid-splash chemical injury to their eyes and face.? Sea Shepherd have said that they are throwing ?harmless? rancid butter that is ?not toxic.? While it may not be as terrible as other chemicals, a check of MSDS data reveals it to be harmful and toxic: Harmful if swallowed or inhaled. Corrosive. Extremely unpleasant smell may cause nausea. Liquid may burn skin and eyes. Readily absorbed through the skin. Severe skin, eye and respiratory irritant. Here?s how Fuji TV news covered the story yesterday: We are shown some footage of recent Sea Shepherd attacks on the Japanese whaling fleet, including one clip in which a Sea Shepherd member laughs with glee as his ship collides with a Japanese vessel. Fuji TV also mentions the laser attacks, the stringing of wires to block ships, and the dangerous use of a mini helicopter. Hilariously, a clip of Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson denying that they ever threw acid at the Japanese whalers is played while we are shown a photo of Watson doing just that. The results of a Japanese government study confirmed that the bottles being thrown at the Japanese did indeed contain harmful acid. The second half of the report moves on to Sea Shepherd?s recent declaration of war on ?illegal? bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean. As if to openly take a piss on Sea Shepherd, Fuji TV has one of its reporters eat bluefin tuna as she talks about the issue. After she comments on how great it tastes, the narrator explains that Japan, which consumes most of the bluefin tuna caught in the world?s oceans, would be in trouble if the Mediterranean supply was cut off. Europe is leaning towards support of a ban on the trade in bluefin tuna, but it is apparently not yet illegal. When the report finishes, one of the news anchors in the studio shows her frustration by saying that the Sea Shepherd people really are ?like terrorists? in their disregard for international law.