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Paul Watson was cofounder of Greenpeace and led the campaigns against the slaughter of baby seals in the late seventies. When Patrick Moore became president of Greenpeace Canada he halted direct action and forced Watson out. Today Patrick Moore is a spokesperson for Monsanto and the nuclear industry.
Paul Watson never stopped his involvement in direct action. After his ouster from Greenpeace he founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. (SSCS) It’s an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and the slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans.
Paul Watson is both praised and criticized for Sea Shepherd’s practice of aggressive non-violence. He says that some laws and conventions exist to protect the oceans and their inhabitants. However these laws are very rarely enforced. He and his legal team make the case that non-governmental private organizations, such as Sea Shepherd, have the right to enforce international conservation laws in neutral waters.
Sea Shepherd crews have arrested poachers, removed illegal fishing nets and chased vessels back into their home ports. They document their actions and collect and preserve evidence, turning that material over to authorities for prosecution. There are now many examples of Sea Shepherd assisting small nations that have no navy or coast guard to confront the international vessels that plunder their territorial waters.
Here are excerpts from a wide ranging interview with Paul Watson, done in France on June 22, 2016. Thanks to the French organization Thinkerview for the audio of their film “Paul Watson Talks Climate”. You can see the 45 min. version on YouTube on the channel of Climate State. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HVIUTCm2o
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