“This note is from Rúni Nielsen, who is Faroese, opposed to the Grind, and keen to see an end to their whaling. But he has a different view to how this will be best achieved. And i tend to agree with him. (pete)
I am Rúni Nielsen – one of ECO’s chapter leaders in the Faroe Islands, , and I am greatly offended by many pictures of the grind, but very disappointed by many of the comments of hatred and ignorance. I wrote this text a couple of weeks ago as a reaction to similar comments, and here I am recycling the exact same text.Good morning, fellow enviromentalists and conservationists. Embrace yourself for a long text.I’m Faroese, and proud of it. We are a very small group of people – have been on the brink of extinction many time. We have our own unique language which has survived intact dispite the enourmous pressure from 814 years of colonial opression from foreign powers. The Plague tooks it toll in the 1300’s and again in 1400’s. 400 years of fighting of pirate attacks from the French, Dutch and Ottomans and others. Danish trade monopoly in the Islands preventing a proud and strong stock of weatherbeaten people to prosper in peace. During all these years, the Faroe kept there society – dispite dwindeling in numbers…. at a time only 4000 people were left approximately. We kept the parliament rule and structures in general. During the 2nd world war, we sailed in wooden ship (sloops) fish for Iceland to Great Britain in mine, submarine and fighter planes infested waters. Un armed so to speak. Each ship had only one single handhelt machine gun. But we sailed and delivered the fish to feed a much bigger nation in need and perell. Many 1000’s faroese lost there lives on the sea.
To stop the grind, there is only ONE way of doing it. Pressure from the outside can’t do anything.
Believe it or not – we, the Faroese are a law abiding, peaceful and animal loving people.
We hate factory-farming. To see chicken, pigs and cows suffering their WHOLE lives in batterycages and confinement in their own exscrements deeply hurts us in the hearts.
Animals are treated with respect here in the Faroes. The sheep are free ranging in the mountains or in the fields. The eggeries have free ranging hens. The wild birds hunted live free in the cliffs. The whales live free.
The farming methods of sheep have been improved even over the years out of respect for the animals and to prevent suffering as much a possible. Same is for the killing methods in the grind.
To call the Faroese massmurderers will not help the whales. Trade embargos and boycotts will not help the whales.
Media and money motivated non-violent/violent stunts in the Faroes will only strengthen the national feelings and polarize the world even more.
If all enviromentalists were like PW and the SSCS, even I would join the whalers – and I don’t even want that.
The grind will actually stop faster – if we come down from the barricades and treat the matters with mutual respect and understanding. Education is the way for both ‘lears’ in this dispute.
The grind will stop if only one of these criteria will be met, documented, acknowledged and proven. Both sides agree on this, both the faroese against the grind – and the ones pro.1. not suitable for human consumption (this is our strongest card)2. deemed as animal cruelty3. pilot whale an endangered species
This is the way, or no way at all.
Take from me, a local well respected by all sides anti-whaler.
I have more arguments and info if anyone needs that…
thank you for reading this and thanks for understanding
August 11 at 10:04am · Edited ·