A petition calling for the release of Paul Watson, an environmental activist, whale conservationist and founder of Sea-Shephred, has been launched following his arrest in Greenland. Many celebrities are among the signatories.
On Sunday, July 21, Captain Paul Watson, co-founder of the environmental organization Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd, was arrested upon arriving in Nuuk, Greenland, aboard the ship John-Paul-DeJoriaThe American-Canadian activist was stopping in the autonomous territory under Danish rule to refuel. He and his crew of 25 volunteers were preparing to continue on to the Northwest Passage as part of Operation Kangei Maru, a mission to intercept a Japanese whaling factory ship in the North Pacific.
Why was Paul Watson arrested?
“We came to arrest Paul because of an arrest warrant issued by Japan,” said the head of the Danish Federal Police’s assault team at the scene of the arrest. The reason was an Interpol red notice, due to an international arrest warrant issued at the request of Japan 12 years ago for anti-whaling activities in Antarctica that allegedly caused damage and injuries in 2010.
“Sea Shepherd missions under the command of Captain Paul Watson had saved more than 5,000 whales from Japanese harpoons. This had earned Paul Watson accusations of “eco-terrorism” from the Japanese government,” the Sea Shepherd association stated on its official website. This Tuesday, the investigative media Vakita announces that “President Emmanuel Macron has taken up the case and that French diplomacy is working to try to obtain the release of Paul Watson.”
Threatened with extradition to Japan
Paul Watson is currently in pretrial detention, facing extradition to Japan and potentially a very harsh sentence. So far, Japanese authorities have not responded or confirmed any negotiations on his arrest and/or extradition. A spokeswoman for the Japanese authorities simply stated that the local coast guard “will continue to take appropriate measures in coordination with relevant entities.”
According to the activist’s relatives, if he is extradited, Paul Watson risks ending his days behind bars: “We know that if that happens, we will never see him again” says Lamya Essemlali,President of Sea Shepherd France, comments relayed in the columns of Le Monde. In addition, the charges he could face are not known. “The Japanese judicial and prison systems are totally unsuitable and violate human rights,” warns lawyer François Zimeray in the daily.
Petition launched to demand his release
This is why a petition to demand the release of Paul Watson was quickly set up, with the support of many personalities sensitive to the environmental cause. Initially, the journalist Hugo Clément asked the head of state Emmanuel Macron “to contact the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, to demand the immediate release of Paul Watson”.
Quickly, several personalities like Pierre Niney, Nagui, Brigitte Bardot, Stéphane Bern, Shaka Ponk signed this petition. “We must do everything to save Paul” warns Brigitte Bardot in Le Parisien. “We are deeply revolted that a man who has dedicated his life to protecting endangered animals is today arrested at the request of a State that does not respect the law” declared Hugo Clément. Currently, the petition brings together more than 332,000 signatories.
Who is Paul Watson?
Eco-activist, Paul Watson has dedicated his life to defending the environment and ecosystems. Co-founder of Greenpeace, he then created Sea Shepherd to lead “more direct actions”. Scuttling of boats, sabotage… The organization is known for its hard-hitting actions, particularly to denounce the destruction of marine wildlife and overfishing. The 73-year-old man has made the defense of whales in the South Antarctic his hobbyhorse. He has already led dozens of risky campaigns to harass and prevent ships from hunting cetaceans.