Iceland to Deport Activists Who Chased a Whaling Ship

Icelandic authorities have decided to deport the entire crew of the vessel Bandero — activists who had been campaigning against whale hunting. According to police spokesman Gunnar Rúnar Sveinbjörnsson, all crew members have been served with deportation notices and banned from re-entering the country for two years.

A chase on the open sea

According to one of the passengers, the Bandero crew had originally planned to ram the whaling vessel Hvalur 9. However, unable to reach the necessary speed, the activists launched an inflatable boat instead, hoping to deploy a net and damage the whaler's propellers. That attempt also failed.

The whalers reported the incident, saying they felt their safety was under threat. The coast guard and police then took control of the Bandero, escorted it into port, and arrested the activists on board.

Who was among those detained

Among those arrested were five US citizens, four Brazilians, three French nationals, two Spaniards, along with one national each from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Trinidad and Tobago. Police accused them of violating international maritime law and endangering the safety of shipping.

The Watson Foundation, which owns the vessel, claims the Bandero was seized in international waters — after the crew had spent several weeks "observing and pursuing" the Hvalur 9.

A hunting ban could arrive as early as this autumn

Iceland, Norway and Japan remain the last countries in the world where commercial whale hunting is still permitted. However, Iceland's government plans to introduce a bill this autumn that would ban the practice entirely.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz