Bethune: Sea Shepherd is Dishonest & Morally Bankrupt

New Zealander Pete Bethune has quit Sea Shepherd after finally realizing that the radical animal rights organization is incredibly dishonest, immoral, and stupid:

Pete Bethune has blasted Sea Shepherd and its leader Paul Watson, describing them as ‘dishonest’ and ‘morally bankrupt’.

Pete Bethune resigned from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in an open letter on his Facebook page today; he says he can no longer represent a group that deliberately misleads and lies.
“It’s gradually dawned on me how bad they are, every month there’s another big lie floating around,” he wrote.

[...]

Bethune now says he was directed by Sea Shepherd admiral Paul Watson to deliberately sink the Ady Gil after it was hit by the Japanese ship.

“It was done for PR purposes and after the sinking I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone about it and I wasn’t even allowed to visit Ady Gil,” he says.

“This is Ady Gil’s boat and I’ve got to keep it a secret from him.”

Sea Shepherd expelled Bethune during his trial in Japan but later retracted their comments saying they had done so to help his case. Bethune says that too is lies.

“And it didn’t assist my trial at all; the lawyer said it portrayed me as dishonest,” he says.
Bethune says senior Sea Shepherd personnel routinely lie and conspire over serious matters and his resignation letter points out many of these.

The New Zealand Herald has a Bethune vs. Sea Shepherd counterclaim list:

WHAT SEA SHEPHERD SAYS
* The Ady Gil sank while being towed to port after a collision with the Shonan Maru No 2.
* Bethune broke Sea Shepherd’s non-violence policy by bringing a bow and arrow on board the Ady Gil.
* Bethune’s initial expulsion from Sea Shepherd during his Japanese trial was a ploy to encourage a more lenient sentence.
* Bethune’s false testimony to Japanese authorities reportedly led to the issue of an arrest warrant for Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson and his addition to Interpol’s “Blue List”.
* Sea Shepherd supported Bethune as an anti-whaling activist but wished to “quietly” dissociate itself from him.

WHAT PETE BETHUNE SAYS
* He was asked by Sea Shepherd to scuttle his boat after the collision.
* He was given permission to take the bow and arrow on board, then criticised by Sea Shepherd when arrows were found by the Japanese.
* His expulsion from Sea Shepherd hurt his case in court.
* His testimony followed legal instruction.
* He still “loved” Sea Shepherd but felt the organisation was too dishonest for him to stay.

And here’s an old video of Paul Watson acting tough in front of the media and saying he is captain and will take responsibility for what happens under his leadership, even if that means going to court:

[Hat tip to M. Tanaka]

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