For several years now, the crackdown on climate activists has been intensifying in many democratic countries. Arrests, intimidation, bans – how can we fight against the climate and biodiversity crisis in such a climate of repression?
Paul Watson – environmental activist and founder of Sea Shepherd, an organisation dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems – is a figure who inspires as much as he divides. Released last December by the Danish court in Nuuk after 149 days in detention, his imprisonment has turned him into a symbol of the growing repression against climate activists. Fighting for the oceans—what does that mean today? As the consequences of global warming, biodiversity loss, and resource and ocean exploitation become increasingly visible, and as governments fail to respond to the urgency of the crisis, what does Watson’s case reveal about the state of democracy, the right to protest, and the protection of those who defend our environment? Why is authoritarianism escalating against activists, and how does this repression manifest?
With Paul Watson Environmental activist and founder of Sea Shepherd
Moderated by Bruno Giussani Journalist and former president of the FIFDH
With the support of the Smile Wave Fund