14 DAY TRIAL // Members of the Anonymous hacker collective have launched DDoS attacks on the website of the Narita airport in Tokyo to protest the "allegedly" illegal arrest of Ric O'Barry, the main star of "The Cove."
Besides being one of the men that helped train the dolphins used on the set of the famous "Flipper" TV show, Ric O'Barry's main claim to fame is his appearance in Oscar-winning "The Cove" documentary, which depicts the horrible dolphin slaughter that takes place annually in the town of Taiji, Japan.
Ric O'Barry denied entry to Japan, arrested afterwards
According to the Dolphin Project, a non-profit charitable organization Ric's part of, the TV actor was detained by Japanese authorities on January 18, when he arrived at Tokyo's Narita airport.
Authorities refused Ric the right to enter the country, and after declining to leave, they placed him under arrest at a deportees facility, where he remains even now.
"O’Barry was repeatedly interrogated and placed in a deportees’ facility, similar to a jail, where he has been held behind bars ever since," a statement from the Dolphin Project reads. "He has not received proper nourishment, his only food coming from the airport’s 7 Eleven convenience store, and sleep has been minimal at best."
This is not O'Barry's first time in a Japanese prison, having spent another night in jail last August, after he didn't have his passport on him. In that case, Japanese police were not willing to search his car for his passport, choosing to keep him for a night in jail before eventually finding his passport and setting him free.
O'Barry has stated many times that, after "The Cove" documentary was released, he has been subject to harassment from Japanese authorities, who have done their best to deter him from returning to the country.
Anonymous comes to the rescue
After the incident was leaked to the press, members of the Anonymous hacker group came to Ric's aid and launched DDoS attacks on the Narita airport's website. First attacks were launched at around 09:00 PM on Friday, January 22, and the website was restored the following day at 01:00 AM.
This is not the first time Anonymous attacked the Narita airport website, having previously taken it down in October 2015.
Anonymous has a long-lasting feud with Japanese authorities, especially for their habit of hunting and killing endangered specials of whales and dolphins. Softpedia has written many times on Anonymous' #OpWhales and #OpKillingBay campaigns in the past.
#Anonymous https://t.co/aWJ7S1fdl4 #TangoDown We are #OpKillingBay We support Ric and demand his release now! pic.twitter.com/qcTf8KSlsW
— Anonymous (@_RektFaggot_) January 22, 2016
