Vegetarian Star

The cancellation of a screening in Tokyo of The Cove,  a documentary about killing whales in the island of Taiji, has resulted in a domino effect across cinemas in Japan.

Variety reports several cities have decided to opt out of showing the Oscar winning film in the country. Theatres in Sendai, Yamagata and Aomori have changed their minds on showing the documentary that was scheduled for screening later this month. And Tokyo’s Meiji University has also canceled the campus showing, saying it would interfere with classes.

Dolphin activist Ric O’Barry, who went along for the filming in Japan, has called the cancellations an “assault on democracy.”

“This is not North Korea. It’s not China and it’s not Cuba. It’s a democratic society. There’s a very small minority of radicals who are going to theater owners and threatening them. They don’t want people to see this film,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

O’Barry has said he’s even tried to distance himself from environmental groups, since some are often seen as extremists. Rather, he’s focusing on the human side and is concerned about dolphin meat being sold for consumption, as it contains high levels of mercury.

The Japanese distributor for the film, Unplugged, is still planning to release The Cove on June 26.

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