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Greenpeace* founder asks Macron for political asylum in France
One of the founders of the environmental group Greenpeace* (recognized as undesirable in the Russian Federation) and Sea Shepherd sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron asking for political asylum due to persecution by the Japanese authorities, the French branch of Sea Shepherd reports.
"I would like to humbly and respectfully request political asylum in France," Watson said in a letter posted on the X social media group's page. The activist claims that Japanese authorities' moves to extradite him for his anti-whaling activities were politically motivated.
Watson was detained by Greenlandic police in July last year. A Danish federal police spokesman confirmed that this was due to an international arrest warrant issued by Japan in connection with the anti-whaling protests. The court ruled that Watson will be held in Greenlandic custody until October 23. According to Extra Bladet, the Danish Ministry of Justice has received a request for his extradition from Japanese authorities.
Paul Watson, one of the founders of Greenpeace*, was expelled from Greenpeace in 1977 over disagreements over non-violence. He founded the Marine Life Conservation Society, known as Sea Shepherd. Watson was removed from the organization’s board of directors in late 2022, accused of abandoning independent politics in favor of collaborating with the government. He then set up his own organization, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.