“Long ago, my ancestors left their homes in Brittany and Normandy to cross the Atlantic and settled in Port Royal and Île Saint-Jean. They became Acadians and had names like Arsenault, Doriore, Gallant, Boudreau, and Babineau. One of them married a Watson. From this family history, I have retained a deep attachment to France, the homeland of human rights. man and freedom. During my 50 years of fighting for oceans and marine life, I have often crossed paths with him.”
Thus begins the heartfelt letter that Paul Watson personally sends to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to ask him for French citizenship and not be extradited to Japan.
A few days ago I wrote to ask for France’s protection while I am persecuted for political reasons. Today I ask you to do me the honor of becoming one of yours, he writes, referring to his previous request for political asylum.
Paul Watson traces his deep ties with France in his writing, then underlining the decisive role of Sea Shepherd Francewhich he describes as the “flagship” of his actions to defend marine life.
Watson says he now faces wrenching uncertainty as he waits to learn his fate in a cell in Greenland. Wanted by Japan for his actions against whaling, he expresses in his letter his gratitude to the French people and the numerous personalities mobilized on his behalf. He also shares his emotion when he reads the many letters of support, especially those from children in France, who send him drawings of whales.
At 73, I have sailed around the world several times, living more often on my boats than on land. By personal choice, France became my home port, writes Paul Watson, before officially asking the president to grant him French nationality.
Finally, Watson recalls the importance of France’s role in protecting oceanic and polar ecosystems, underlining that the country has the second largest maritime space in the world. He expresses his desire to continue his ecological struggle as a French citizen, underlining the urgency of current environmental issues. And then he closes with his unmistakable signature.
If France decides to make Paul Watson one of its own, it will have the right to inspect and have full access to the elements of the case. He will then be able to assert his full weight and even more legitimately in the case and, if necessary, oppose this extradition, Sea Shepherd concludes.
Here is Paul Watson’s letter to President Macron.
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