Greenland Police Arrest Veteran Environmental Activist

Paul Watson detained in Nuuk on Japan's international warrant
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Jul 22, 2024 2:00 PM CDT
Greenland Police Arrest Veteran Environmental Activist
FILE - Paul Watson, then founder and President of the animal rights and environmental Sea Shepherd Conservation, attends a demonstration against the Costa Rican government near Germany's President residence during a visit of Costa Rica's president in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Greenland...   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)

Greenland police have arrested prominent environmental activist Paul Watson based on an international warrant from Japan. Watson was detained when his ship docked in Nuuk, Greenland, and will be brought to a district court to determine his potential extradition to Japan.

Watson, known for his anti-whaling activities, was apprehended along with 25 crew members while heading to the North Pacific to intercept a new Japanese whaling vessel. His foundation, Captain Paul Watson Foundation, stated that over a dozen police officers boarded the ship and led Watson away in handcuffs.

"Watson's arrest is believed to be related to a former Red Notice issued for his previous interventions in the Antarctic region," the foundation noted. Locky MacLean, a director at the foundation, called the arrest "politically-motivated" and urged the Danish government to release Watson.

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Watson, a 73-year-old dual Canadian-American citizen and former leader of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has had several run-ins with authorities over his confrontational tactics against whaling ships. He previously fled Germany after being detained on a Costa Rican warrant and has since resided in multiple countries. Watson left Sea Shepherd in 2022 to form his own organization and was a leading member of Greenpeace before his departure in 1977 due to strategy disputes. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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