A group of 97 whales who led an unauthorised protest against warming oceans has been detained in Western Australia, after authorities claimed the whales had disrupted the beach-going activities of law-abiding citizens.
A police spokesperson said the group – known as “Cetacean Rebellion” – had not won any fans with their latest protest, which he described as a ‘silly stunt’.
“We all respect the right to protest, but causing this kind of disruption – blocking a beach for an entire day – is not the way to go about it,” he said.
Callers to talkback radio agreed, with one caller labelling it ‘arrogant, attention-seeking behaviour’. “Haven’t they got anything better to do than lie on a beach all day? It’s just so selfish. Some of them even died on the shore, which just meant it took longer for the beach to be cleared”.
The government will today present a new law to parliament, known as the Sustainable Oceans Amendment Act, which will limit protest actions like this in the future.
A spokeswhale from Cetacean Rebellion released a statement, saying “Woooooh! Ooooooh! Waaaaah!”
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By Alain Trembleau
