[vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1691013008333{background-color: #f9ecc5 !important;}”][vc_column_text]Captain Paul Watson’s response to an article published by the Costa Rica Star.
Captain Watson, said “I was amused today to see this rather strange article about yours truly in the Costa Rica Star. My comments are in bold.”
Paul Watson: Shining Activist Hero or Psychopathic Terrorist?
Now Mr. James Marshall Black the author of this highly opinionated article may well have a PDd but it certainly is not in journalism because in this article he made no attempts at fact checking and certainly did not consult with me or anyone who actually knows me or my history.
So now I have to go through this article and do some fact checking for James because the article is polluted with misinformation and severely prejudiced with unsubstantiated opinions.
I’ll go through it paragraph by paragraph to address the errors. My corrections can be checked with historical facts if anyone is interested in doing so.
Important Note: This is an opinion article written in the Blog section of The Costa Rica Star, by writer James Marshall Black, PhD. Leave your comments below.
IT IS INDEED AN OPINION ARTICLE BY JAMES MARSHALL BLACK PhD. I will put my answers in bold letters after each paragraph that contains errors.
Paul Watson has always been known as a “stand up” kind of guy who prefers direct action over words. For him, the end has always justified the means, with the result that he is adored by most and considered despicable by many. Fewer people take the middle ground. There is much to admire about him, and much to criticize. Probably the best way to describe him would be as “controversial”.
Paul Watson: To say that I believe that the end justifies the means is a prejudiced opinion not backed by any evidence that I have ever injured a single person in my entire life. My approach has always been what I call aggressive nonviolence however I do agree that I can be labeled as controversial.
He claims to be a founder of Greenpeace in 1972, but Greenpeace denies this, saying only that he was an “influential early member”. True, he was very active from the beginning in Greenpeace, but in 1977 was firmly booted out because of his aggressive behavior and violent beliefs in protecting animals.
Paul Watson: I don’t claim to be a co-founder of Greenpeace. I was indeed a co-founder of Greenpeace and a crew member on the Greenpeace Too in 1971. I was a founding director of Greenpeace in 1972. This fact can be verified by other still living founders like Roberta Hunter, Rod Marining, and even Doctor Patrick Moore. Moore has also been accused of not being a Greenpeace cofounder because they disagreed with his opinions. My lifetime Greenpeace membership number is 007. I was not booted out of Greenpeace, I was voted off the board of directors for nonviolently disarming a seal hunter, rescuing a baby seal, and throwing the sealing club into the sea. I then founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1977.
Before Greenpeace, he worked with considerable success in saving the trees of Oregon with Earth First, and in the process made a name for himself for using tree spikes. Spiking a tree consists of finding the best spot to begin cutting it down, and then embedding a metal spike, bar, nail, or piece of ceramic that would pose a real danger to anyone later trying to fell the tree with a chainsaw.
Paul Watson: Earth First was not established until the early 80s and I was never involved with protecting trees in Oregon. I was involved in spiking trees in British Columbia in the early 80s before it was illegal to spike trees and I did so with a group called the North Vancouver Garden and Arbor Club. We spiked the south slope of Grouse Mountain facing the city of Vancouver and this thwarted the sale of the trees to a lumber company. 40 years later those trees continue to stand. Tree spikes were not meant for chainsaws. The idea was to publicly declare trees spiked to deter the purchase of the trees because tree spikes could damage sawmills with expensive machinery repairs and downtime. Sawmill workers operate behind protective shields so there is little danger of physical injury.
After being kicked out of Greenpeace, as “Captain” Paul Watson he immediately formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) even though it seems he was never licensed in any country as a ship captain. Not one to beat around the bush, the organization’s mission was closely defined as “a self appointed -policing organization given credibility by the terms of the United Nations Earth Charter.” In other words, to stop all fishing of which it disapproves, and with the force and means necessary to accomplish this.
Paul Watson: I was a seaman in the Norwegian and Swedish merchant marine and an officer with the Canadian Coast Guard. I was the first officer on Greenpeace ships between 1971 and 1977 and captain of my own ships from 1979 until the present. I established Sea Shepherd to oppose illegal whaling, sealing, and fishing activities. My actions were not based on my disapproval but were motivated by violations of international conservation laws regulations and treaties. I successfully used the U.N. Charter for Nature as a defense in a trial in Newfoundland where I chased foreign drag trawlers off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. I was acquitted.
“The fact is that we live in an extremely violent culture, and we all justify violence if it’s for what we believe in.” — Paul Watson, speaking at the Animal Rights 2002 convention.
Paul Watson: This quote is correct, but it was a general observation of human nature that has been taken out of context.
He then acquired his first vessel, the Sea Shepherd, and fit her out with a heavily reinforced bow for ramming and an attachment dubbed the “letter opener” – a special bow structure to enable slicing through the hulls of other ships. Then he enlisted a crew of animal rights activists who showed their dedication by paying him for the privilege of swashbuckling pirate adventure on the high seas in a black ship flying the Skull and Bones.
Paul Watson: My first ship was the Sea Shepherd and it was purchased with the support of two conservative organizations, the New York based Fund for Animals and the RSPCA in England. There was never anything called a letter opener. In 2005 there was a device on my ship the Farley Mowat called the can opener which was used to discourage the refueling of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean. I created the Jolly Roger flag in 1991 and not earlier as the writer is suggesting and my crew were conservation activists, not animal rights activists. My crews do not pay me to be on the crew. For the most part, they are volunteers. The Jolly Roger flag I created is not the skull and bones. It is a skull with a crossed trident and a shepherd’s crook.
In 1979, the Sea Shepherd rammed the seal hunting Sierra but did not sink her. But in 1980, they did, and an investigation revealed that limpet mines had been used. The next headlines (PDF download) Watson made were for threatening to murder two members of the Canadian government for voting against a moratorium on sperm whales at the International Whaling Commission annual meeting.
Paul Watson: the Sierra was a pirate whaling vessel, not a sealing ship and yes, I rammed it and later sank it because it was killing whales illegally. I sure as hell never threatened to murder anyone and certainly not members of the Canadian government. This is a very libelous accusation. If I had made such a threat I would most certainly have been charged with a crime. I was not.
In 1981, he claimed responsibility for the sinking of two whaling vessels, Ibsa I, and Ibsa II, in the Spanish harbor of Viga.
Paul Watson: this is correct both ships were killing Fin whales illegally. I informed Juan Masso the owner of the ships to his face at the IWC Conference in England in 1980. I was not arrested.
“We don’t give a damn what you or anybody else on this planet thinks. We didn’t sink those ships for you. We did it for the whales.” — Paul Watson,
Paul Watson: This is an accurate quote from a conversation I had with Greenpeace director John Frizell at the IWC conference in 1980 in England.
In 1983, he was sentenced to 15 months in jail after a very violent skirmish with the Canadian police because of his illegally interfering with the annual seal hunt in the Gulf of St Lawrence (PDF download). Scores of faithful animal rights protestors retaliated with acts of vandalism, demanding his release.
Paul Watson: Mr. Black neglected to mention that the sentence was overturned on appeal and I did not serve any time. There was no violent skirmish with Canadian police nor were there scores of protesters retaliating with acts of violence demanding my release. This is pure fiction. There was not a single case of vandalism or violence associated with this action.
In 1986, the Sea Shepherd’s violence escalated in another bloody skirmish in the whale harvest underway in the Faroe Islands, with Watson using rifles against the police, pouring diesel fuel in the ocean near the police rubber dinghies and then throwing flares to ignite the fuel, and jabbing them with rotating iron spikes to puncture and sink them. He was ordered to leave. He was also banned from attending any International Whale Commission meetings. Every couple of years, Watson writes the Commission, requesting they reinstate him. Each request is routinely answered with a heartfelt “Absolutely Not.”
Paul Watson: We did not carry or use rifles nor did we pour fuel onto the sea to ignite with flares, nor did we damage any of the police boats. No blood was shed, We were shot at and defended ourselves with shots of chocolate and cream pie. No one was hurt although a few cops were slimed with chocolate and banana cream but we were not arrested or charged with any crime. I did not write to the IWC asking to be reinstated and I continued to attend IWC meetings without official representation. In 1997, I attended the IWC meeting in Monaco at the invitation of Prince Rainier of Monaco.
That year, the Sea Shepherd also claimed responsibility for sinking two whaling vessels in Reykjavik, Iceland. Watson returned to Iceland in 1988, demanding to be held accountable for sinking the two ships, and was arrested but later set free as he denied having any part in the crime and there was no evidence directly linking him. He was, however, declared a persona non grata and ordered to leave Iceland.
Paul Watson: Yes, we did indeed sink half the Icelandic whaling fleet for violating the global moratorium on commercial whaling. I was not arrested when I arrived in Iceland. I was questioned. I never denied doing my part in organizing the action. In fact, as Mr. Black states, I demanded to be arrested. Iceland refused to charge me because the government did not want a public trial that would expose their illegal activities. Upon leaving Iceland I stated that I was responsible for sinking the ships and it was a mystery to me as to why they refused to charge me.
By 1991, Watson and the Sea Shepherd crew had earned a worldwide reputation for protecting seals, whales, and sharks – but as a rogue “policing” organization with seemingly little respect for maritime laws and conventions. An American crew member working on a Mexican fishing vessel reported that the Sea Shepherd rammed his vessel, causing considerable damage and that some of the crew were armed with rifles and machine guns. Because of this incident, Scott Trimmingham, then president of SSCS resigned his post to protest the escalating armed violence.
Paul Watson: Neither myself nor my crew were armed with rifles and certainly not machine guns. Scott Trimingham did not resign because we were using guns. He resigned over administrative disagreements.
It was following this, in February of 1992, that the Sea Shepherd II and the Edward Abbey encountered Tico shark poachers at Cocos Island and scared them off with water cannons, stink bombs, paintball guns, and attempts to ram them. A video of this was sent to the authorities here, and they were largely regarded as heroes.
Paul Watson. Wow, he got this right, We successfully chased real poachers out of the waters of Cocos Island National Park. We took the video he refers to and we sent it to the authorities. We were not charged.
In the full decade leading up to the next incident in Costa Rica, the Sea Shepherd’s fame grew with more brazen skirmishes of ever escalating violence (including deaths), more scuttled ships, more conflicts with the legal authorities of a growing number of countries, more lawsuits, more infamy, more police surveillance of their activities, millions of dollars of other persons’ money lost by sinking ships — and more admiring and devoted fans worldwide.
Paul Watson: Another very libelous accusation. No person has ever been injured or killed because of my actions. To say “including deaths” has no credence. This is a very irresponsible accusation by Mr. Black. Hard to see how we took more brazen actions than ever considering that we had sunk several whaling ships already. It was not escalation but more like consistency.
“We should never feel like we’re going too far in breaking the law, because whatever laws you break to liberate animals or to protect the environment are very insignificant compared to the laws that are broken by that parliament of whores in Washington. They are the biggest lawbreakers, the biggest destroyers, the biggest mass-murderers on this planet right now.” — Paul Watson, at the Animal Rights 2002 convention
PaulWatson: Yes it is an accurate quote and it is a truth,
Then in 2002, invited by the Costa Rican government to help out around Cocos Island, Farley Mowat tangled with the Costa Rican fishing vessel Varadero I for poaching off the shores of Guatemala. The Captain, crew, and ship owners charged Watson with attempted murder and destruction of property, and just in the past two weeks, Watson was detained in Germany by Interpol and Costa Rica has sought his extradition to stand trial here.
Paul Watson: Now people have to ask themselves why would Costa Rica invite me to help out around Cocos Islands if I had a reputation for violence and causing death to anyone? In 2001 we assisted in the arrest of the Ecuadorian longliner San Jose in the waters of Cocos Island National Park for which we received a commendation from the Costa Rican Coast Guard. The Varadero I was illegally poaching sharks in the waters of Guatemala and the Guatemala government requested our assistance. No one was hurt, and there was no property damage. There were charges based on the accusations of the shark poachers. The charges were dropped. In 2012, there was a new charge of “shipwreck endangerment” and I was detained in Germany. The charges were thrown out in 2017.
Japan (still carrying out illegal whaling operations through a global moratorium loophole) has indicated that if Costa Rica doesn’t get him, they most surely would like to get their hands on him. The Chinese shark fin industry would dearly like to assert themselves in this as well, and apparently some members of Costa Rica’s fishing industry are whetting their knives in preparation for his return here to face the charges. INTERPOL has placed him on their “Blue Notice” list to be kept under surveillance.
Paul Watson: I was on the Interpol Red Notice list (red not blue) by Japan but that was dropped in 2023. In 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry gave me permission to return to the USA saying that the charges by Japan were not credible. See recent updates as of July 21, 2024, #freepaulwatson https://www.paulwatsonfoundation.org/freepaulwatson/
At the same time, fans all over the world are organizing themselves for protests demanding that he be declared innocent and set free. As one might say, what a fine kettle of fish this is!
Paul Watson: I indeed have thousands of supporters although how this equates to a fine kettle of fish is a strange thing to say.
No doubt about it; the man is clearly controversial. But what makes him tick? Certainly he not does fit the mold of most people. Some say he is a rare idealist, fighting for his beliefs and convictions. Others think he may have one or more screws loose.
Paul Watson: I have never had any screws in my body that I am aware of and Mr. James Marshall Black Ph’d who appears to be a Costa Rican residency and relocation advisor (whatever that is) certainly does not have the medical credentials to make a diagnosis about my mental health.
They say he can be quite charming, is somewhat flamboyant, and can eloquently plead his cause when raising funds. But when objectively reviewing his history of law bending and breaking, arrests, violence, and some of the things he says one soon begins to smell the strange smoke of personality disorder.
Paul Watson: Mr Black PhD. has no credentials to determine if I have a personality disorder. He certainly did not objectively review my history because he got most of the facts quite wrong. I have never been convicted of a felony, never injured a single person. The President of Ecuador presented me with the Amazon Peace Prize in 2007. In 2012, I received a medal for conservation activism from the Jules Verne Society. In 2017, I was presented with a lifetime membership to the Explorer’s Club. In 2,000 in an article for TIME magazine, I was identified as one of the 50 most notable environmental activists of the 20th Century. I have taught classes at UCLA and the Pasadena College of Design on Environmental activism, and I have written 14 books on the environment, climate changes, history and poetry, and two children’s books. I am happily married with three children and two grandchildren. In other words, Mr. Black Ph’d does not know anything about me.
Rather than being illnesses, personality disorders are enduring and pervasive features of the personality that deviate markedly from the cultural norm, perhaps as in the case of Watson, who at the age of ten, shot a kid in the butt for trying to shoot a bird.
Paul Watson: I did indeed shoot a kid in the ass with a BB gun who was about to shoot a bird. Every kid in my little rural community had shot another kid with a BB gun for fun, including shooting at me. I just happened to have a valid reason for shooting the kid that I shot in the ass. Mr. Black Ph’d, does not say a BB gun which insinuates it was a bullet.
All his characteristics, including persuasiveness and charm, fit quite nicely within the criteria and parameters established in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for antisocial personality disorder. This category includes both psychopaths and sociopaths, the differences of which are somewhat blurred. Most persons, on hearing the word “psychopath” immediately think of Ted Bundy or Charles Manson, but there is also the common “garden variety” of psychopaths and a great many of them.
Paul Watson: I don’t think I have been a common garden variety anything but Mr. Black’s PhD seems to have a handle on spotting psychopaths and has decided I fit “quite nicely” into his selected criteria and parameters of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. My question is; did I not qualify for edition numbers 1 to 3 or was my particular abnormality specifically identified just in the 4th edition?
This condition usually appears in the late teens, and the traits are distinct and repetitive, creating a pattern of misbehavior that goes beyond normal adolescent mischief. They routinely disregard rules, social morals, and laws, unmindful of putting themselves or others at risk.
A person with this condition may have difficulty getting along well with others and may not seem to care whether his actions are right or wrong. He may break the law frequently, lie, and fail to act responsibly.
Paul Watson: it’s nice to know that Mr. Black Ph’d knows me so well. But what I do know is that killing whales is wrong and saving whales is right. I do know that stopping environmental crimes is right and ignoring environmental crimes is wrong and I can’t think of anything more responsible than protecting endangered species and threatened habitats,
“There’s nothing wrong with being a terrorist, as long as you win. Then you write history.” — Paul Watson
“In 30 years, we’ve never injured anybody; we’ve never broken a law.” — Paul Watson on “Larry King Live”, June 2009
Paul Watson: Putting this quote in this article seems to contradict the spirit of his article.
Often, a person with this condition is manipulative and uses his charm to get what he wants from others. His wishes may be all that matters to him, and he may have a habit of violating the rights of those around him. A person who has antisocial personality disorder may break the law repeatedly. He may exhibit violent and intimidating behavior and have trouble with controlling his impulses.
Paul Watson: I’m wondering, did I do something to offend Mr. Black PhD? He seems to have strong opinions on me, yet he has never met me. He has not presented a shred of evidence that I am violent or intimidating and I would love to know what impulses I am failing to control.
“The fact is I have never been convicted of a crime.” — Paul Watson, Worldfest 2006.
“I have no criminal record.” — Paul Watson Interview, September 2008.
Paul Watson: Another quote to illustrate Mr. Black’s negative opinion of me I suppose.
“Sea Shepherd cooperates fully with all international law enforcement agencies and its enforcement activities complying with standard practices of law and policing enforcement.” — SeaShepherd official website, 2009
Paul Watson: and yet another.
“Sea Shepherd adheres to the utilization of non-violent principles in the course of all actions and has taken a standard against violence in the protection of the oceans.” –- SeaShepherd official website, 2009
Paul Watson: And what the hell, here’s yet another.
So, what is the conclusion? For me, it is that Paul Watson has done and is doing things that need to be done and for that, he is a hero. But there is also the strong possibility that he is also driven by what psychologists call a personality disorder. In other words, he is a hero, but one who definitely will resort to any means necessary to achieve his ends. As this seems to be the modern trend among politicians and governments these days as well, why not?
Paul Watson: The hero is flawed it appears but are not all heroes flawed in some way? Again he wanders off into this “by any means necessary” yet conveniently neglects to include all the means necessary and considering that I have not killed or injured anyone nor have I been convicted of any felonious crimes, it is a mystery as to what he is implying. One thing that Mr. Black’s PhD and the fact there is very little of substance about him on the internet to what I can only surmise is a “personality disorder.”
https://cdn.news.cr/paul-watson-shining-activist-hero-or-psychopathic-terrorist-2/6967/
“My question to Mr. Black, PhD.: What have you done to make the world a better place?” — John Quam, Editor in Chief, Howler Magazine, Costa Rica[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1691079310772{background-color: #18b7be !important;}”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
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