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Thomas Peter / Reuters
Paul Watson attends a rally of animal rights activists in Berlin, Germany, on May 23. The Sea Shepherd flag is behind him.
On the run and with three countries seeking his arrest, the captain of an anti-whaling group is claiming Germany was ready to sacrifice him to Japan and that a former crew member convicted by Japan had become a traitor by providing "false evidence."
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson said he was in "a safe place" after fleeing house arrest in Germany earlier this month when he learned that Japan was also seeking his extradition. Watson was being held on an earlier extradition request from Costa Rica.
With its own "Whale Wars" TV show on the Animal Planet network, Sea Shepherd is best known for its annual clashes with Japan's whaling fleet.
In 2010, Peter Bethune, the captain of one of its ships, was put on trial in Japan for boarding a Japanese whaling ship.
In his letter to supporters, Watson said Germany and Japan had conspired against him.
"The German government said I betrayed their trust by leaving Germany, yet they had already betrayed my trust," he stated. "The German politicians had made up their minds politically before the German court had made a decision, and during the time I was held in Germany, the Japanese negotiated with Germany to file for an extradition order to Japan on fabricated evidence provided by former Sea Shepherd Crewmember, Peter Bethune."
Watson then accused Bethune of cooperating "to provide false evidence to the Japanese Coast Guard to blame me for the boarding actions, despite the on-camera documentation that I specifically advised against the boarding by Bethune."
Miguel Llanos / NBC News
Peter Bethune captained the Sea Shepherd boat known as the Ady Gil.
Bethune countered in comments to NBC News that "to blame me for his (Watson's) predicament is farcical."
"I had Paul's express permission to run the mission and board the Shonan Maru," he added. "For him to say he was against it or he ordered me not to is false. Japan has so much evidence against Paul -- various press releases, statements by Paul, footage."
"I have not seen any footage where he says don't go," Bethune said in response to the allegation of video showing Watson advising him not to board. "Paul asked my to skydive off the helicopter onto the Nisshin Maru (another Japanese ship) for goodness sake."
Bethune was convicted but given a suspended sentence, and has since returned to his native New Zealand and started his own environmental group, Earthrace Conservation.
Watson was detained in Germany in May on a Costa Rican warrant accusing him of endangering the crew of a Costa Rican fishing vessel in 2002.
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Leave a Comment:
Paul is a terrorist who operates on the high seas under the guise of saving some sea critter. Had he committed his actions against my ship I would've forcefully boarded his ship under law of the seas and hanged his ass from the nearest yardarm as punishment along with his 1st mate! The rest of his crew would be placed in the brig and his ship towed or sunk depending upon prevailing sea conditions to the nearest neutral port.
My question is: How many polar bears does Whale Wars kill?
Why sacrifice one animal for the other?
I hope they throw ALL these ECO-TERRORIST in prison for life.
How can they be ECO-TERRORIST? They burn millions of gallons of fossil fuel, therefore are they not killing polar bears?
Send him to Japan where he can be judged for his actions or non-actions, and then throw his @$$ in jail if so warranted. He is a liar and a coward now that he isnt on his ship and out at sea.
Paul Watson sold out his crew member the moment he stepped on the Japanese Ship, Paul went on a propaganda campaign stating he had no idea Peter Bethune was planning that. But in Paul Watson's own words he has continuously stated "Keep lying to the public until the lies become the truth, we are not concerned about facts, only emotion!" This is Paul Watson's true character!
I'm not sure what you guys are watching but isn't a little concerning that a country like Costa Rica and Japan can use their power as a "sovereign country" to get rid of someone who is causing them pain? Wouldn't that be very good motive for making up charges?
What Paul is trying to do is stop the governments of nations who are not supposed to be killing whales or participating in "shark fining" from doing so. He should be applauded for doing so. Who else is going to help save these animals: you?
"governments of nations who are not supposed to be killing whales" And who says that they can not kill the whales? Japan is allowed to harvest a numbers of whales for research every year, can t remember the exact number but i am sure that you can google it to find out. This is an international agreement for them to do so...So you can join your hero fruity Watson the eco terrorist in jail. Just waiting for the day that those bunch of clowns kill someone on one of the japanese whaling ships then its game over....
Mark, have you seen any whale research coming from Japan? It's just their way of getting around IWC. Many other countries can do legitimate research on whales without killing...Japan, I guess, doesn't have the "know how" to do it. Search for any legitimate papers on Japanese whale research...you will not find any! Also, Sea Shepard uses the United Nation World Charter for Nature...so you can join your whale hating Japanese in the green oceans they are creating. Game will be over for all of us once our oceans are dead....
I watched every episode leading up to and the boarding of the Shonan Maru and never once did Watson advise against it. I hate to say it but it sounds like Watson prefers lying to save his own skin rather than own up to the truth. My respect for he and his work just went down a notch or two. What a shame.
In Paul Watson's own book he states " We are not concerned about the facts, only emotion. If you continue with the lies they eventually turn into the truth!"
His WHOLE mission is based on this theory!
I still like South Parks version better.
Japan and Germany working together on this ? We remember how well there previous collaborations worked ! If the Whale Wars captain is found guily, I wonder if thet could let him do his time in the states ? Preferably in Colorado. There is kind of a symetry if they could put Watson in with Holmes.
The sea sheperds are cowards and hypocrites. They assault anybody they want, trespass, and endager lives. Then they cry about their ships being sank.
Next time they pull some sh!t in international waters their victims should just shoot them and be done with it. Lame pirate wannabees.
You know, I think I really like soybeans. I love them soooo much and I think there aren't enough soy bean plants in the world. So next time I see somebody eating tofu, I am going to mace them and drive erratically in front of their car. (joking)
Sounds crazy huh. It is. Sea Sheperds are weak, crazy, and the worst kind of people--extremist. I think I may join a whaling crew just to have the chance at a face to face encounter with those f*cks.
Wow, you are like, what, two seconds from having your head explode? Dude! Chill out, Baby, it can't be that bad in your world.......
I almost peed my britches from laughing when they violated basic maritime rules of the road with the trimaran speed boat and it suffered an 'unfortunate' incident. This is the same sort of eco-terrorism that happens in the woods of New Jersey and other areas during hunting season.
I'll eat wild rather than pen-raised any day, if they want to do something for the benefit of man they need to transfer their energies to the Pebble Mine situation in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Bethune saved his ass by collaborating with the Japs. The Japanese and the Germans have since the enigma machine had simiular views on many racial superiority and economic aspects .They are both very exporting countries.
Bethune volunteered forcefully to board the japanese boat because his boat got smashe by them. He was pissed when he realized playing GI Joe of the seas might get your toys broken.
I don't think Watson cares If Bethune collaborated to save himself from Japanese incarceration. At this point they are playing good cop-bad cop.
Stay safe Paul, save the whales and screw all the whale eating A-holes. Tell them to stop breeding.
Do you believe the burning of fossil fuels is killing our environment?
So Bethune saved his ass (arse?) by collaborating with the Japanese? There was no 'collaboration'. Throughout the entire court case in Japan, Pete was under advisement from the lawyers hired by Sea Shepherd to defend him. That included everything he said in court - all done with a view by all at the time to get him released as quickly as possible.
I'm with Save The Environment. lvingbarefoot your in the wrong discussion and debt what debt a bet your from Japan.
Shouldn't watson be sailing or rowing after the japanese whaling ships? I mean he is hurting the environment with his fossil fuel burning vessel .Practise what you preach extreme lefty eco terrorists .
citizen3, yes I think it is but in this case it's for a better cause than killing whales, it's to save them. and yes we ought to figure out alternate power sources.
Anytime the eco-terrorists get @!$%#ed up, its a good thing.
The self righteousness reminds me of westboro church garbage.
Anymore, I have no problem seeing a whale blown to @!$%#, simply in response to the acts of the wacko environmentalists.
Funny that Watson claims others betrayed him. The fact is, coward that he is, he betrayed his own people and is now a wanted fugitive, a coward and a liar. Watson, sounds like you betrayed your own people instead because you cannot handle the truth. I personally do not think Watson cares one way or the other what happens to SSCS. His own narcissism and megalomania prevent that! His own actions will most likely destroy SSCS almost single handed! Watson can run, but he can't hide forever.
Watson is a criminal period. They should send him to japan and hang him by his buster browns!
Interesting timing for this allegation as Pete Bethune is currently in the middle of an arbitration case against Sea Shepherd and Watson to try and wrest the $1/2 million he is owed as the balance of payment for the Ady Gil, lost after a collision with a Japanese whaler whilst operating under Sea Shepherd in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in 2010. I'm just sayin'...
Clearly defending whales is profitable when you can simply skip on $360,000 bail.
Maybe this turd needs to spend time in some foreign jail instead of glorifying his terrorist activities for profit.
What you @!$%#s need to know is that this man and his organization have saved THOUSANDS of whales and many more marine animals. Don't you want your great-great-great grandkids to have marine wildlife? Or do you just want to tell them stories about when you saw a whale and when they ask to see one your going to have to respond "Oh they all got killed off because the Germans and Japanese threw one of the only man willing to help these animals in jail." Mr. Pete Bethune I supported you, but I have lost all of my respect for you. You voluntarily boarded the Shoanan Maru. Live on Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd! Your followers are still here and applaud you for your work!
Na I'll just show them whales on youtube ..
And it's people like you that are ruining are environment and our planet.
How so , I don't do anything different than anyone else . Just because you have some different thought patterns doesn't make you save the environment any more than anyone else . You're on glue . My comment above was kidding around anyway .
@!$%# you Paul Watson, and your @!$%#head crew. Cant wait to see you blown out of the water and a few more whale guts floating in the ocean.
Pete Bethune is clearly a fool. If you watched that particular show he was a sitting duck, I could not believe someone could be that stupid to stop his boat under those circumstances. The Japanese have clearly broken International laws and our governments do not do anything to stop it. In addition
to the whales what about the sharks. The Japanese don’t give a rats ass about marine life and the get away with it. It just fitting the Nazis are teaming up with them. Thanks Paul lots of folks appreciate what you’re doing and I will say it again “Pete Bethune is just a fool” and the Japanese are just cruel worthless people. I say our bomb wasn’t big enough.
the Japanese look at sharks and whales as both competitors over fish and a human food source. in comparison lets kill all predators in Africa and all elephants ( and they are working on it) to see what would happen.... even if nothing was to happen, our future generations won't get to see any live ones. Nothing against the Japanese but they need to slow their own breeding on their own island. They really don't understand sustainable habitat population nor care and that might be why their view on normal habitats and population is perverted. I don't know, they are smart people and make excellent cars and technologies, yet killing populations of animals everybody else is protecting seems wrong to me.
Save t En:
You know absolutely nothing about Japan, its economy or its people; your posts are based on outdated prejudiced propaganda that has not 1 shred of common sense. Japan lead the world last century on environmental reform long before you ever even heard the word carbon! Whatever link you tried to tie elephants and whales failed miserably, you make no sense.. as for future generations.. there are an estimated 750 thousand Minke whales, Japan will harvest approximately 650 of them, that will hardly even put a dent in the birthrate of the whales. Of course Green Peace say the Minke are endangered but they will never publish the numbers.
these eco nazis are causing global warming with their carbon footprint making ship .I'm pretty sure that ain't electric powered .Hypocrit much ? paul watson and his crew should be using sails and paddles only .Until then they can shut their pieholes .
I'm pretty sure you meant SHIPS. Compounded hypocrisy, by an egomaniac with delusions of his own making.
They're just getting pissed off because dangerous catch is getting better ratings .
That's because Americans tend towards the lowest common denominator when it comes to entertainment.
It was fun to watch the japanese outwit and out-manuever the sea shepherd and her bumbling crew. in my opinion the tactics employed by the sea shepherd did border and occasionally cross the line into terrorist activities, attempting to scuttle a vessel in deadly southern seas? how rude and callous. hopefully all involved parties get what they deserve.
Why do you make no inclination about what the Japanese are doing is illegal as well?
"making an inclination" what in the hell does that mean anyway?
What Japan does is criminal, but is done using loopholes in a flawed and toothless system to make it appear legal. If their harvest is to be stopped it must be done diplomatically.
What Paul Watson and his inept crew does is illegal by all standards, and amounts to little more than piracy in international waters, get it? The Sea Shepard crew is very lucky that gunboats don't sink them, which would be legal and entertaining at the same time.
This would be one very cool Pay Per view.
This guy is pure comedy, I can't get enough of watching this slack jawed inept "lead" his unsuspecting band of granola heads into the arctic. I can imagine the whale conversations - "Watson, please support gorillas, elephants, rhinos, anything but us....oh dear lord, is he faking getting shot again...oh man, are they throwing ropes in our water again....acid, really?".
Personally I hate to see whales killed but wow what a clumsy buffoon representing a potentially noble cause.
And yes the Japanese need to be called to the carpet about their environmental abuse, as do about everyone of us reading this while running our air and throwing away 30 lbs of garbage a week.
Paul Watson, shameless self-promoting ass. Watching him finally be brought to justice will be entertaining indeed. I hope Animal Planet has the sense to recognize the wide appeal of his inevitable punishment.
Also, I can't believe that Germany, who's citizens once prided themselves on the inescapability of their prison camps (as illustrated by Col. Klink of Hogan's Heroes fame), allowed this bumbling half-wit to escape house arrest and flee the country.
Well, on second thought, perhaps Stalag 13 isn't the best example, but you know what I mean.
I watched two episodes once with a friend who likes the show and that I was all I could take of him. I told my friend that Paul seemed like an inept, dishonest narcissist to which his reply was: "Yeah he really is a douche."
OK people in here need to stop drinking the koolade and step back for a second because this whole conversation is being a follower because one person says about fossil fuel then the trolls just keep on repeating the same thing.
I don't know about people in here but in one week Japan did more damage to it's people and the environment 10 times over because they build half as$ed sh!t, but they still send ships down there no matter whats going on all in the name of research ummmm yea how about you travel over to the fish markets and it doesn't look like any research going on there just money being made.
And BTW again so many people in talk out of there as$ before doing even the least bit of recherche here, last time I checked a bigger boat will burn more than twice the amount fuel you figure it out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisshin_Maru
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=244943000
I could care less about all this nonsense going on with this people,but i am boycotting Japan for a long time.I do not buy any cars ,electronics or anything that has japan on it,till the day they stop killing wheals.And they claim is for research,and if you believe that i got a bridge to sell you.The only thing they care is the money they make for selling the wheal meat on the japonise market.
Guru
It would be against the ICRW (International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling) to NOT sell the meat. Japan is allowed to operate their ship under article 8 of the ICRW and its states the meat MUST BE SOLD TO MARKET according to the guidelines. This is not the 60s anymore, all whale numbers have increased, some numbers to almost 1 million, where in the 60s they were considered endangered they are no longer endangered. The issue now is the amount of fish this many whales eat, just having more whales does not mean its good for the oceans.
Paul Watson is a hero. You have to be a "Mad Hatter"(whale meat eater) to think otherwise. He did more for the whales and other especies than all the governments around the world put together. Killing whales is prohibited everywhere besides Japan and Faroe Islands. They have to stop. God bless ou Captain.
Luis
Killing whales is NOT prohibited everywhere, you seem to very uninformed on the whole concept. Russia also takes 10 times more whales than Japan ever has, funny how "brave" Watson won't even mention going after a Russian Whaling ship. Paul Watson is a criminal and needs to sit in Jail for the rest of his life in a foreign prison.