In July the anti-whaling activist Captain Paul Watson was arrested and jailed in Nuuk, Greenland. In his half a century of activism with Sea Shepherd and now with his foundation, it wasn’t the first time he’d been put behind bars. However, it was the first time he’d been threatened with extradition to Japan, which carried a potential 15-year jail time. Or for the 72-year-old, a life sentence.
In December Denmark’s Minister of Justice announced that Watson would not be extradited and was free to leave. He returned to his current home in France, and vowed to continue the fight, under his new Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
I chatted to him not long after he was released and thought the conversation was worth putting out there. Now when I say conversation, it was more of a case of settling back and listening to Paul. He talks fast, but not loose with incredible recall and a great sense of perspective and humour.
For those short on time, here are a few of his better quotes below.
“This was a maximum security prison, but it was more like a hotel, really. I had my own cell with a refrigerator and television, but most importantly, I had this beautiful view from my cell window of the fjord and the mountains, and I could see whales out there.” On his prison experience in Greenland.
“In 2022 there was a hostile takeover of Sea Shepherd. They took the ships, the assets, the database; they took everything from me. But most grievously, they changed the entire objective to go mainstream. They accused me of being too controversial and confrontational, and therefore they decided to go mainstream. On his split from Sea Shepherd
The falling out I had with Sea Shepherd Australia was because they went into partnership with Austral Fisheries. Austral Fisheries is 50% owned by the Maruha Nichiro Fishing Company in Japan, which had links with the Taiyo Whaling company that we went up against in the 1970s. So I never envisioned that Sea Shepherd would be in partnership with a company that was involved in killing whales, but that's exactly what happened.” Yep, Paul has beef all right.
“The Japanese actions are revenge for my Whale Wars television show. That severely humiliated and embarrassed the whaling industry and the Japanese government. So really what this is all about is a politically motivated false accusation on a very minor charge from 2010.” On his ongoing battles with the Japanense government.
“I've been arrested and put in jail many, many times, but I've never been convicted of a crime. I've also never injured a single person in my entire career over the last 50 years.” On his approach of aggressive non-violence.
One of the classic strategies of governments today is to turn anybody who opposes them into eco-terrorists. But I don't know of a single act of “eco-terrorism” where someone has actually killed or injured anybody. When people ask me, ‘Are you an ecoterrorist?’ I just say, ‘No, I've never worked for Monsanto or Union Carbine or any of the real eco-terrorists operating in plain sight.” On eco-terrorism
“Look, slavery didn’t end overnight. Women didn't get the right to vote overnight. You have to have patience to do it.” On never giving up the fight
“Surfers are in a better position to see right before their very eyes the changes that are happening escalating as far as climate change, the effect of biological diminishment of diversity, and that they see it firsthand. Surfers and the surf industry have a powerful lobby and activist base. They need to use it.” On what surfers can do.
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