European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Paul Watson and the sea Shepherd conservation society sinking ships to save whales my this icelandic whaling boat wan scuttled by sea Shepherd last week then successfully re floated by pumping out the water. By Graham Rockingham United press International Paul Watson stands in his in Vancouver British Columbia with the phone wedged under his Chin Straig Lening his lie while trying to persuade the caller a terrorist a second Telephone rings a Young supporter asks How he can Send Walson Money. A radio blares in the background an angry Fisherman lolling a Lalk show Host Ihil Watson should be hanged. Wai son founder and president of i he sea Shepherd cons Cavanon society had just taken credit Lor the sinking of t to whaling ships in Iceland s Reykjavik Harbor they arc the fourth and tilth whalers that sea Shep Horti Daims to have destroyed in the past six years for hours Slraight Watson had been working the three photos m his one bedroom apartment which doubles 111 sea Shepherd s . Watson. .15. Lili finds Lime to Campaign for election to the Vancouver Parks Board and then Drevo to a suburban television studio Tor a network interview. He has changed out of jeans and Inlo Anill Mlin Suil hoping 10 make a Good impression Walson a on a Roll. He s Back m the news again end he can i Slop talking about it. How can anyone Call me a terrorist he asks without allowing an answer. Terrorism Means causing injuries to Morent people. There were no injuries at Reykjavik we be never injured anyone. We saved the lives of 200 whales by sinking those ships to Call me a terrorist Means you Are placing Privalo properly above the Sanctity o he recites How iwo of his followers Nick Taylor of Plymouth. England and Rodney Coronado of Morgan Hill Calif boarded the43-4-Lon Halvur 6and the 460 ton Valur 7 in Reykjavik Harbor. Armed Only with wrenches. Walson said they Ente cd the engine rooms of the unguarded vessels removed 16 bolls and opened the sea valves. By Daylight the two ships were on the Bottom and Taylor and Coronado were on a plane to Luxembourg. Before leaving Iceland the two saboteurs took sledgehammers to the country s Only whale processing Plant causing some $2 million in damage. Iceland s two remaining whalers were Lell unharmed Watson says because watchmen were aboard the ships. I ordered them nol to use explosive says Watson they were Lold to abort the Mission if i Here was any possibility of someone getting Hurt or caught but Walson has t always shied away from explosives. In february 1980, the cypriot water Sierra was destroyed by a Small magnetic mine in Lisbon Harbor. Two months later iwo Spanish whalers Mel the same Laic Oft the North coast of Spain. Again there were no injuries and again Watson claimed responsibility even though he was in a Quebec court Al the Lime being arraigned on charges related to his Anli sealing Campaign. They wore breaking International whaling regulations just As Iceland was breaking Iho International whaling commission s moratorium on whaling Watson said. But there is no official body to enforce these regulations so we re doing in ourselves. Consider Reykjavik a police the icelandic government which denies breaching the inc moratorium has said it will attempt to extradite Watson Taylor and Coronado. Walson openly challenges Iceland to press charges. A Liia would just provide his cause Wilh More publicity. And he is not frightened by the Prospect of prison. He has been arrested several times and in 1983, was sentenced to 15 months in jail Tor disrupting the Canadian Seal Hunt. The sentence is under Appeal. Watson also has threatened whalers from Norway Japan and the soviet Union if the Opportunity presents itself. I guess i won t be Able to go Back to Iceland Watson shrugs but that s All right. I be already been barred from entering Norway Sweden and the soviet Union. And of yeah we also got kicked out of next summer Watson says he in take the sea Shepherd ii the society s 200-foot trawler to the Pacific Ocean to destroy japanese driftnet huge Salmon nets stretching up to 30 Miles in length that Harvest anything in their path including sea Birds and dolphins. But Watson does t like being branded a professional environmentalist. He saves that Label for Greenpeace a rival and More moderate environmental group that dumped Walson nine years ago. Greenpeace spokesmen quickly condemned the Iceland sinking accusing Watson of damaging the image of environmentalists around the world. With the mention of Greenpeace venom flows. Aligners. Malcontents and he says. Walson was an original member of the Vancouver coalition of hippies peace Niks quakers and journalists thai formed Greenpeace in the Early 1970s. With Greenpeace he taunted soviet whalers in the Pacific and Canadian sealers in the Arctic. By 1977, however Greenpeace had expanded into an International network. Watson s tactics no longer Fil Greenpeace s moderate image. Ii was a bitter break some people say it s against Greenpeace s interest to Stop whaling he says. They d lose their main source of income. I find it difficult to argue Wilh those people we have to Stop whaling now nol 20 years Down the line and the Only Way to do that is to Slop those Paul Wasoi folks to act fat Jam so Tow. Page 18 the stars and stripes sunday november 23,1986
