Washington, DC--
Hayden Panettiere, who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's hit series Heroes came to Washington on a mission that hopefully will make a major difference in the way whaling takes place in countries such as Japan an Norway.
Panettiere's trip to Washington started today in Washington D.C's Dupont Circle with a rally against a resumption of commercial whaling. The event kicked off a whirlwind trip that included a two hour speech in the cold and later a moving evening session in front of students at Georgetown University's Gaston Hall.
On Monday, she will meet with representatives from the embassies of Japan, Norway and Iceland to question their outdated whaling practices.
"Whales face increasing threats from climate change, ship strikes, entanglement in nets, and chemical and noise pollution, yet Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to kill them in increasing numbers," Panettiere said. "I am looking forward to talking with officials who actually make and carry out our policies, as well as fellow young people who will be voting in the upcoming election -- I want our voice to be heard."
She was enthusiastic about seeing the whaling process in person in Japan and saddened by the results of her trip and the immediate resumption of whaling almost the day after she was scheduled to leave.
We were all out there on our surf boards in what was a sea of red. I could have painted a picture with the color of the water that I saw ,said Panettiere. Her personality and ability to fight for such a a great cause is amazing. She even made light of the fact that the Japanese government has an arrest warrant out for her if she should return to try and push the cause again.
On Tuesday, Panettiere will speak at a 1 p.m. press conference hosted by House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Chair Nick Rahall (D-WV). She will be joined by Rahall and Senator John Kerry (DMA) in urging the US Government to reinstate its former leadership role protecting whales from commercial slaughter. An evening reception with Members of Congress and their staff is the final stop on tour.
"Recent polls show that over 75 percent of registered voters oppose whaling, and over two thirds want our government to do something about it, yet to this point, little has been done to stop the increasing slaughter," said Jeff Pantukhoff, president and founder of the Whaleman Foundation and executive director of the Save the Whales Again! campaign. "We need the United States to reflect the will of its people and lead the way in taking all necessary actions against Japan, Norway and Iceland until the killing stops."
