Cav's Place

I’ve been following up on the story of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society‘s captain Paul Watson‘s recent arrest in Germany, hoping to be able to write a brief post about his release. Unfortunately, the situation developed in the opposite direction and a preliminary extradition warrant has been requested instead, which turns this post into a call to action. We’re talking about a man being arrested essentially for doing the right thing, about an iconic leader of the environmental and animal rights movements risking being handed over to those who care nothing for other species and readily trade the long-term good of the world in general and even that of humanity in particular for selfish short-term economic benefits and about a very important organization wasting precious time and resources with a legal battle instead of going out there and saving the lives that need saving! Admittedly, perhaps those aren’t human lives, but why should that make any difference?
If you want to help, and I’ll come out here and kindly as you to do so, you can at the very least respectfully contact the German Federal Minister of Justice, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Guido Westerwelle, since they appear to be the ones who can intervene at the moment, even the public prosecutor stating during the hearing that they have the power to stop the extradition procedure if they consider that the charges are politically motivated. On top of that, you could and likely should also spread the word about this, especially if you know anyone from Germany or even anyone who at least knows German well enough to write the messages in it, as that may well increase the impact. And last but not least, if you can afford it and are willing to do so, you can of course also donate to Sea Shepherd’s legal defense and education fund in order to help cover their legal expenses.