Anti-whaling environmentalist Paul Watson arrested in Greenland

The environmentalist who fights against whaling, Canadian Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and among the founders of Greenpeacewas arrested in Greenland on an international warrant issued by Japan. Watson had just arrived in Nuuk on the ship John Paul DeJoria. He will be brought before a district court where the police will request his detention «before a decision whether to extradite him to Japan».

Its organization, the Captain Paul Watson Foundationsaid in a statement that The environmentalist was arrested by the Danish federal policewho boarded the John Paul DeJoria as soon as it docked, during a stop at a mission to intercept the new Japanese whaling vessel Kangei Maru in the North Pacific. “The crew had stopped to refuel on their way to the Northwest Passage. This stoppage is believed to be related to a previous red notice issued for Watson’s anti-whaling activities in Antarctica. This development comes as a surprise since lawyers for the Foundation had reported that the red notice had been withdrawn. However, it appears that Japan made the notification confidential in order to facilitate Paul’s travel for the purpose of arrest.”

The Captain Paul Watson Foundation adds: “Although Japan has been in violation of the International Court of Justice ruling for several years, it ceased offshore whaling in Antarctica in 2016 and now hunts whales only in its territorial waters. We suspect that Japan intends to resume deep-sea whaling in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific by 2025. and that the reactivation of the red notice against Captain Watson is politically motivated, coinciding with the launching of the new Japanese whaling ship. Paul is currently in custody and It is unclear whether Denmark will extradite him to Japan. We need Paul released immediately. We urge the Danish government to release Paul and reject this politically motivated demand.”

The 9,300-ton whaling vessel Kangei Maruwhich left Japan in May, slaughters and processes whales caught by smaller vessels. It has a slipway that can carry 70-ton fin whales, can store up to 600 tons of meat at a time, and can therefore remain at sea for long periods. Theautonomy of 13,000 kilometers The discovery of the new vessel fuels suspicions that Japan, five years after abandoning its controversial “scientific” whaling in the Southern Ocean and resuming commercial whaling off its coast, is once again preparing to hunt the mammals far from its shores.

Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to stop the destruction of natural habitat. and the slaughter of wildlife species in the world’s oceans, in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and different species. Sea Shepherd practices direct action tactics to investigate, document and take action – when necessary – to expose and prevent illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the delicate biodiversity of ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations.