JAIL PROTEST HELD ON BEHALF OF DR. JERRY VLASAK. (Seals)

[Guest guest]

JAIL PROTEST HELD ON BEHALF OF DR. JERRY VLASAK!

 

 

 

PROTEST HELD ON BEHALF OF JERRY VLASAK,

MD OUTSIDE THE PEI JAIL

 

For Immediate Release

Saturday, April 8, 2006

21044 Sherman Way #211

Canoga Park CA 91302

phone: 818.932-9997 fax: 818.932-9998

press

www.animalliberationpressoffice.org

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Eastern Canada

-Dr. Jerry Vlasak, one of three press officers with

the North American Animal Liberation Press Office,

(NAALPO), is the first of the anti-sealing protesters

to turn himself in; he currently sits in jail on his

13th day of a hunger strike. John Mitchell, legal

counsel for the eleven activists, said he is aware of

plans by several of those arrested with Vlasak to turn

themselves in and serve their respective sentences.

But none of those individuals have contacted or

advised Mitchell with respect to when they intend to

return to Charlottetown.

 

Lisa Shalom, a fellow activist and one of three

females arrested on the ice floes last march along

with the eight other anti-sealing protesters, decided

to hold a demonstration. She had elected to pay the

fine of 1000C to the court in lieu of jail time but

wanted to make sure that Vlasak had support in

Charlottetown from the outside. Charlottetown, PEI is

not London; New York or even an Austin, Texas- so it

was a challenge for Shalom to get people out on behalf

of Vlasak in a city that has close ties to the seal

kill. In fact, one of the jailers told Vlasak that his

father is a " sealer. "

http://theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=2193 & sc=2

 

(NAALPO NOTE: One paragraph in the article is

completely incorrect. Dr. Vlasak is not spending time

in jail to raise money for any conservation group. Dr.

Vlasak is NOT in jail to raise money, but to fulfill

his sentence, protest the seal kill and protest the

unjust conviction of himself and the ten other

anti-sealing activists.)

 

Dr. Vlasak, formerly of Sea Shepherd Conservation

Society, was questioned by a reporter last year and

stated that in his personal opinion violence in

defense of innocent seals being clubbed to death is

morally justifiable if the seal killers would not stop

any other way. Vlasak states, “Those very words got me

ousted as a board member of SSCS - but I stand by them

without regret. If it were your child or companion

being clubbed to death, would violence in self-defense

not be morally justified in order to stop it? I was

simply giving my own personal opinion, as I have a

right to do under the U.S. Constitution. "

 

SSCS has refused to pay for Vlasak’s appeal, but

Mitchell plans to include Vlasak pro bono in the

appeal along with the ten other activists. Dr. Vlasak

also had to pay his own way to turn himself in, but he

said such was the least he could do for the seals -

since he has been banned from the ice floes for three

years.

 

On Sunday, March 26th, HSUS took Zodiacs out to the

ice floes - but one of them was rammed by a fishing

boat with the film of the seal kill confiscated. These

HSUS activists have now been banned from the ice

floes. Vlasak states, “I have always believed that

there has got to be a year-round campaign against this

seal slaughter - not just once a year during the

actual kill, with the million-dollar multi-nationals

suddenly moving on to other campaigns. " Finally, HSUS

has come up with the idea of a worldwide boycott of

Canadian seafood. This is a great start, but ALL

Canadian products - and tourism - should be boycotted!

HSUS has also brought major attention to this kill by

enlisting Lady Heather and Sir Paul Mcartney. HSUS is

focused on bringing major attention to this hunt, and

its own Rebecca Aldworth - who lives in Canada - is

spearheading that effort.

 

The " second phase " of the massacre of baby seals in

the Labrador Front, Newfoundland started last Tuesday

and is going to kill 234,000 infants for their fur and

penises - sold to make European coats and Asian

aphrodisiacs.

 

For more information - and footage - on the seal kill,

please e-mail or call the North American Animal

Liberation Press Office at

press or (818)

932-9997, respectively.

 

 

National Press Officers:

Lindy Greene-Southwest

 

 

Camille Hankins-New York

Jerry Vlasak MD-Los Angeles