Paul Watson’s bid for asylum in France has been turned down, leaving the veteran anti-whaling campaigner in legal limbo.
France has declined to grant political asylum to anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, dismissing his plea that he would face persecution if returned to Canada or the US.
Ofpra, the French body charged with asylum decisions, judged his fears “unfounded,” noting that both countries are “democracies governed by the rule of law.”
Watson, now aged 74 and holds dual US–Canadian citizenship, is the founder of the Sea Shepherd conservation group.
He was held in Greenland for five months in 2024 before Denmark declined to extradite him to Japan, which accuses him of involvement in damage and injury aboard a Japanese whaling vessel in 2010.
He arrived in France late last year and filed his asylum request in February.
Paul Watson: unshaken by prison and still fighting for whales
Furthering the campaign
Speaking to RFI in February, Watson remained unbowed by his ordeal. He described his jail time as “an opportunity to further the campaign” against illegal whaling, adding that he was “overwhelmed by the international response” to his detention.
He said he believed Denmark was “surprised” at the attention his case drew.
Reflecting on the lawless expanses of high seas, he remarked: “International waters are like the wild west, where rules exist but are not respected, often for economic or political motives.”
Watson emphasised that in his decades of activism he has “never hurt anyone” and has always “operated within the framework of the law.” He pointed out that, over the years, his crews had intervened to rescue an estimated 6,000 whales.
When pressed on his motivation, he recalled a harrowing experience in 1975 in which a whale threatened to crush his ship.
He said: “I looked directly in its eye … I could tell it knew what we were doing. … He could have killed us, but he chose not to. I owe my life to this whale.”
He reflected, “That’s when it hit me … we [humans] are insane. And I said to myself that I would do whatever it takes to protect these animals.”
Sea Sheperd’s Paul Watson vows to keep fighting for oceans from Marseille
‘Disappointed’ but hopeful
Watson, who is still based in France, recently told RFI he tries not to dwell on uncertainty: “You have no control over the future, but you have absolute control over the present. What you do today will define your future.”
For him, that means continuing to use every platform available – from international summits to grassroots campaigns – to spotlight threats to the oceans and rally support for whales.
Despite Ofpra’s rejection, Watson is not giving up. He told reporters he is “disappointed,” but remains hopeful that he might ultimately obtain French citizenship.
His lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot, has urged France to reconsider, arguing, “France is not honouring itself by refusing political asylum to Paul Watson … Japan maintains its international arrest warrant, so he is still in danger, wherever he may travel.”
(With RFI and AFP)