Rare “Lesser Evil” Defense Invoked in Seaworld Rose Parade Arrest Case

Amanda Slyter along with a 12-year-old girl and a paralytic were among the 19 people arrested while holding a protest against SeaWorld’s float in the 2014 Rose Parade, an activist group said.

 

Amanda Slyter—who along with 15 other protesters was arrested for “interfering with a special event” on January 1 when she blocked the SeaWorld float at the Rose Parade—pleaded not guilty on Thursday at her arraignment.

Slyter invoked a rarely used common-law defense called “necessity,” also known as the “greater good” defense (i.e., violating a lesser law in order to right a greater wrong—in this case the cruel capture and lifetime confinement of orcas in SeaWorld’s tiny concrete tanks).

Outside the courthouse, dozens of PETA supporters rallied.

“Blocking a parade float for a few minutes to make a point in behalf of oppressed beings who cannot free themselves is nothing compared to how SeaWorld robs orcas of the sea, their families, and any semblance of a quality life,” says Slyter. “The only hope for the orcas imprisoned at SeaWorld is for more people to take a strong stand, and they can start by boycotting this pitifully cruel amusement park.”

In a press release, PETA officials detailed their concerns about the conditions under which orcas are kept at SeWorld.

“In the wild, orcas swim upward of 100 miles per day,” the press release said, “but at SeaWorld, they’re forced to swim in tiny circles to amuse tourists and spend the majority of their lives virtually motionless.”

ETA claims at least 25 orcas have died in U.S. SeaWorld facilities since 1986—and says that not one died of old age.

“Because these intelligent, sensitive animals are deprived of everything that’s natural and important to them, they can be driven to violent acts of frustration against trainers, which is shown in the compelling and critically acclaimed documentary Blackfish,” ETA statement continues. “PETA wants SeaWorld to fund the creation of coastal sanctuaries where the captive orcas can live in as natural a setting as possible.”