Paul Watson, the founder of the environmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has been arrested in Greenland after leading a ship to the country in protest of commercial whaling.
Watson, 68, was arrested on Sunday by Greenlandic authorities after arriving in the port city of Nuuk on the Sea Shepherd ship, MV Farley Mowat. The ship and its crew of 35 members had traveled to Greenland to challenge the country’s plans to resume commercial whaling in the coming weeks.
Sea Shepherd is a non-violent, direct-action organization that has been fighting against whaling and other forms of animal exploitation around the world for over 40 years. Watson, a Canadian citizen, is a well-known activist and has been involved in many high-profile anti-whaling campaigns during his career.
The Greenlandic government announced in April that it would be resuming commercial whaling in its waters, despite international pressure to do otherwise. The country had previously imposed a ban on commercial whaling in 2009, but the new government decided to lift the ban.
Watson and his team arrived in Greenland on September 4, and have since been engaging in non-violent protest actions, including blockading a local whaling vessel and attempting to communicate with local whalers in an effort to persuade them to cease their activities.
According to Sea Shepherd, the crew of the MV Farley Mowat has been cooperating fully with Greenlandic authorities and has been conducting itself in a peaceful and orderly manner.
Despite this, Watson was arrested on Sunday morning and taken to a local jail. The charges against him are not yet clear, but it is believed that they may include illegal entry into Greenland and disorderly conduct.
The arrest has sparked an international outcry, with many condemning the Greenlandic authorities for targeting Watson and his team.
“He is being held as a hostage by the government of Greenland, purely for speaking out against their harmful and illegal activities,” said a Sea Shepherd statement. “We urge the government of Greenland to release Paul and his crew immediately and to uphold their international obligations to protect the world’s whales and oceans.”
Sea Shepherd is calling on governments around the world to take action to pressure the Greenlandic government to abandon its plans to resume commercial whaling.
“This is a critical moment in the fight against whaling,” said Watson in a statement. “We are not going to stand by and watch while the government of Greenland brutalizes these magnificent creatures. We will continue to defend the whales and our oceans until the day they are safe and free from human exploitation.”
Watson’s arrest and detention come at a time when the global community is increasingly recognizing the importance of protecting marine life and the world’s oceans. The International Whaling Commission has banned commercial whaling, except for limited ‘scientific research’ purposes, and many governments are increasingly recognizing the need to protect whales and other marine species.
Despite the global trend, Greenland’s decision to resume commercial whaling has been widely criticized, with many accusing the country of seeking to exploit a loophole in the global ban on whaling.
The future of Watson and his crew remains uncertain, with Sea Shepherd calling for an international campaign to demand their release. The organization has pledged to continue its protest actions against Greenland’s commercial whaling plans until the country agrees to halt its activities and protect the world’s whales.
In the meantime, the international community is watching the situation closely, with many calling for the release of Watson and his crew and urging the government of Greenland to reconsider its plans to resume commercial whaling.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/22/paul-watson-arrested-greenland-sea-shepherd-founder-and-anti-whaling-activist