Greenpeace co-founder and anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson has been arrested. He was on his way to intercept a Japanese whaler – Observador

Greenpeace co-founder and anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has been detained in Greenland on an international arrest warrant issued by Japan, local authorities said, citing the The Guardian. Watson was going to intercept a Japanese whaler but when he stopped he was approached by authorities. The issue is related to previous interventions that the activist made in Antarctica.

The announcement was made by Greenland police, who said in a statement that Paul Watson had been detained upon arrival in the capital, Nuuk, on the John Paul DeJoria boat. The co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting marine animals, will be brought before the court, authorities will ask that Paul Watson be arrested while waiting for a decision to be taken decision on whether or not to be extradited to Japan.

According to his foundation, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF), the American’s arrest occurred due to a red notice issued by the authorities purpose of “previous anti-whaling interventions by Watson in the Antarctic region”. But Paul Watson’s foundation was surprised by the arrest, as “lawyers said the red notice had been withdrawn”.

It all happened when the vessel decided to make a stop on its route to refuel. Paul Watson was tasked with intercepting the newly built Japanese whaling ship Kangei Marunot the North Pacific.

This morning, Captain Paul Watson was arrested in Nuuk, Greenland by Danish federal police, who boarded the M/Y John Paul DeJoria as soon as it docked.

The crew had stopped to refuel while en route to the Northwest Passage as part of #OpKangeiMaruour campaign aimed at… pic.twitter.com/ANWoRFiR42

— Captain Paul Watson Foundation ????????‍☠️ (@CaptPaulWatson) July 21, 2024

The 9,300-ton whaler in question left Japan in May, writes the The Guardian. The vessel slaughters and processes the meat of whales captured by smaller vessels. It is equipped with a type of ramp with the capacity to transport 70-ton whales and has space to store up to 600 tons of meat, which allows it to stay away from land for longer.

Whaling activists fear that five years after Japan abandoned whaling (allegedly for scientific purposes), the country is preparing to return to whaling in full force.

Paul Watson’s fame (and that of his approaches) increased when he participated in the television series Whale Wars, where he warned about the problem of intensive hunting of these mammals and showed that he uses direct action tactics (such as directly confronting whaling ships at sea).