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Paul Watson is awarded the title of honorary citizen of the City of Paris

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undefined undefined 3 février 2025 undefined 09h13

The Editor

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Finally freed after 4 months of detention in Greenland, environmental activist Paul Watson will receive a truly special honor this Monday, February 3rd. On November 19th, the Paris Council decided to award him the title of honorary citizen of the city.

It’s (let’s hope) the latest twist in the story of the greatest whale defender on the planet and founder of the NGO Sea Shepherd. After being threatened with extradition to Japan for several months, Paul Watson has received a highly symbolic honor. This is a further proof of the strong international support he enjoys. A decision made by the City of Paris that highlights the importance of the fights being waged for the planet. This Monday, he will be officially named honorary citizen of the French capital.


A Symbolic Support

“It’s been more than 120 days since Paul Watson has been detained, soon to be 74 years old. He is calling for our help.”

It’s with these words that the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo announced on November 19th that she would award the title of honorary citizen of the city of Paris to Paul Watson. This is a way for the mayor to reaffirm her support for the cause championed by the ecologist, after having personally written to President Emmanuel Macron to request his release.

One month later, she was delighted about his release, stating, «I can’t wait to personally hand him the honorary citizenship of Paris, the city he loves so much». And 7 weeks after his release, the project should finally come to fruition, as the environmental activist will finally receive this honorary title on February 3rd, 2025. A decision that is globally recognized and applauded by the other members of the City Council. Pierre-Yves Bournazel, co-chairman of the centrist group Union Capitale, for example, went a step further by asking for French nationality and political asylum to be granted to him.


A Long-Winded Fight

Just a reminder, Paul Watson, aged 74, was at that time detained in Greenland since...

Many weeks later, following injuries inflicted on a Japanese sailor in 2012 during a Sea Shepherd action against whalers, some viewed it as a baseless accusation, while others, like the Japanese government, hoped this would not be the end and shed light on the whole affair by putting the ecologist on trial. On December 17th, the Danish judiciary finally decided to release the ecologist after 149 days of detention. He returned to France, where his family is based. However, the Interpol notice against him is still in effect. Stay tuned for updates…