Manouk Bakermans

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 #OpKangeiMaru, our campaign aimed at intercepting Japan’s newly-built factory ship, the Kangei Maru, in the North Pacific. It is believed that this arrest is connected to a previous Red Notice issued for Watson’s anti-whaling activities in the Antarctic. This development comes as a surprise since the Foundation’s lawyers had reported that the Red Notice had been withdrawn. However, it appears that Japan had made the notice confidential to facilitate Paul’s travel for the purpose of making an arrest. Although Japan has operated in violation of the ICJ ruling for several years, they ceased Antarctic high-seas whaling in 2016 and now only hunt whales within their territorial waters. CPWF suspects that Japan intends to resume high-seas whaling in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific by 2025, and believes the reactivation of the Red Notice against Captain Watson is politically motivated, coinciding with the launch of the new factory ship. Paul is currently in custody, and it is unclear if Denmark will extradite him to Japan. We need Paul released immediately! We urge the Danish government to release Paul and reject this politically motivated request. #FREEPAULWATSON

⚠️ BREAKING NEWS: Captain Paul Watson has been arrested in Greenland by Danish police. Initial charges relate to sailing in Faroese waters in 2023 related to last year’s Operation Bloody Fjords, but more details to follow. Stay tuned for updates!