Pierce Brosnan and More Show Support for Anti-Whaling Activist Paul Watson, Who Remains Detained in Greenland

Pierce Brosnan and French president Emmanuel Macron are among those calling for the release of the activist and "Whale Wars" star

Many people, including several public figures, are speaking out in support of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, who has been detained in Greenland on an international arrest warrant from Japan.

Police said Watson, 73, was arrested on Sunday, July 21, when his ship docked in Nuuk, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

Watson’s ship was attempting to “intercept Japan’s newly-built factory whaling ship Kangei Maru in the North Pacific” when the ship stopped in Greenland to refuel, according to a statement from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.

Watson has the support of public figures, including actor Pierce Brosnan and French president Emmanuel Macron, who are calling for his release.

Brosnan, 71, showed his support for Watson on Monday, Aug. 12, with a Facebook photo of the actor holding up a piece of paper that says “#FreePaulWatson” on it.

The Remington Steele star has previously spoken out in support of Watson in May 2012. Brosnan raised awareness on Facebook after Watson was detained in Germany with the possibility of being extradited to Costa Rica.

“He will surely endure much hardship for trying to do the right thing by our oceans and her diminishing wildlife,” Brosnan wrote at the time.

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Macron’s office announced on Tuesday, July 23, that the French president was pressing Danish authorities not to extradite Watson, according to Agence France-Presse.

Watson is known for founding the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has a mission “to protect and conserve the world’s oceans and marine wildlife” by defending “all marine wildlife … without exception.”

The Canadian-American citizen is also well-known for appearing on the reality television series Whale Wars, which followed the anti-whaling activist’s attempts to stop the killing of whales off the coast of Antarctica by Japanese vessels. The show aired on Animal Planet from from 2008 to 2015.

Japan issued the warrant for Watson’s arrest more than a decade ago, claiming he allegedly caused injury and property damage upon breaking into a Japanese vessel in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010, according to the AP and Reuters.

Related: Gray Whale Extinct in the Atlantic for 200 Years Seen Near Nantucket: ‘An Incredibly Rare Event’

“Danish authorities claim that the arrest was made due to an international arrest warrant issued by Japan, related to his anti-whaling campaigns in the Antarctic more than a decade ago,” a petition on the CPWF website says.

More than 65,000 signatures have been collected through the petition on the CPWF website calling for Watson’s release.

Watson will be detained until Thursday, Sept. 5, while authorities consider his extradition to Japan, according to the AP and Reuters.

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