The arrest in Greenland of a famous whale conservationist has for weeks attracted global attention and concern in Denmark, which fears that the case could lead to a legal imbroglio or a difficult diplomatic crisis.
Canadian activist Paul Watson, 73, was arrested on July 21 by 14 Danish police officers who were waiting for his boat to arrive in the port of Nuuk, in the autonomous Danish territory. Watson is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol at the request of Japan, which Denmark executed when the activist arrived in Greenland.
Since then, the veteran activist, famous for his fight against illegal whaling, has been detained in the island’s capital while the Danish Ministry of Justice decides whether to extradite him to Japan. In the Asian country, Watson faces a possible 15-year prison sentence and a fine of 3,000 euros.
The case sparked a wave of solidarity from Hollywood celebrities, such as actor Pierce Brosnan and director James Cameron, as well as musician Bryan Adams. On the political front, it took only one day for French President Emmanuel Macron to ask in an open letter to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for the immediate release of the activist who had been living in France until his arrest.
Macron’s request was joined by 73 European politicians led by former French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, as well as MEPs from Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Italy.
The arrest warrant for Paul Watson stems from events in 2010, in which Japan accuses the activist of damaging a whaling ship and injuring a crew member. The events occurred while the Japanese ship Nisshin Mariu, known among environmental activists as a “floating slaughterhouse,” was sailing in Antarctic waters.
According to the prosecution, the activists attempted to stop the whaling activity from a speedboat by throwing butyric acid, a foul-smelling gas that can cause skin burns. The gas allegedly injured a crew member who was on the ship’s deck at the time. However, Paul Watson’s defense denies this and, in rebuttal, presented a video which would demonstrate that at the time of the action there was no one on the bridge.
Following this action, New Zealand activist Pete Bethune was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison in Japan. In addition, Paul Watson was not on the activists’ boat when the events were recorded, but he is accused of being responsible for this act, which is why an international arrest warrant has been issued against him since 2012.
A “totally disproportionate” sanction
The case has such international impact, perhaps because Paul Watson is considered a modern icon of environmental activism and has been involved in numerous encounters with whalers, often using methods considered radical or unconventional.
Additionally, Watson is also the protagonist of the reality show. Whale Wars (Whale Wars), a documentary series broadcast on different platforms around the world and which follows Watson’s actions against whalers on the high seas.
The activist was one of the founders of Greenpeace, an organization he left in 1977 due to disagreements with its unorthodox methods of protest actions. He then founded the NGO Sea Shepherd, which he also eventually left to create his own Paul Watson Foundation.
Before he was arrested in July during a resupply stop in Nuuk, Watson had announced in a video that he was heading with his ship to the western North Pacific. There he intended to intercept the Japanese whaling ship Kangei Maru, which can store 600 tons of whale meat, package it and freeze it for sale.
The activist’s defense is led by Danish lawyer Jonas Christoffersen, who believes the 15-year prison sentence he faces if extradited to Japan “is completely disproportionate given the charges of theft, property damage and obstruction of professional activity.” Watson’s lawyers have also expressed doubts about whether their client will receive a fair interrogation and trial in that country.
For her part, the president of the Sea Shepherd organization, Lamya Essemlali, explained that, for the Japanese authorities, the arrest “has great political weight, since Watson has become a symbol against the whaling that they now want to destroy, sending a message to the entire environmental movement.
Although whaling was banned by an international agreement in 1986 – initially signed by Japan – Tokyo withdrew from the agreement in 2019 and its whalers have since resumed operations. Currently, whaling is only permitted for scientific purposes, but Japan, Iceland and Norway allow commercial whaling. In Japan, whale consumption is increasingly reduced, but the whaling industry continues to benefit from state support because it is considered part of the Asian country’s tradition.
Internal conflict in Denmark
The case of Paul Watson’s arrest has caught the Danish government off guard, and it is unsure how to respond, according to local media. The Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for deciding whether to extradite the activist, said that “the extradition is under legal assessment,” noting that such a request had never been received from Japan before. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it was unlikely that the extradition of the activist could be stopped, although that would be highly controversial.
As Danish Institute of International Affairs analyst Ulrik Pram Gad explained to public broadcaster DR, the case has also generated conflicts within Denmark with its autonomous territory of the Faroe Islands, where whale hunting is defended and practiced: “If Denmark proceeds with the extradition, it could have an image problem with its European allies, but this decision could have a cost at the national level and in relations with Japan.” For the time being, the Nuuk court has extended Paul Watson’s pre-trial detention until September 5, while the authorities find a solution.
