Sea Shepherd France, the oceans defense NGO we support, is being harassed by former members who have staged a veritable coup d’état within the organization*.
Here is the commentary and a poem sent to our editorial team by Paul Watson, its founder.

“As we return from a summer of opposition to Icelandic whaling and the horror of the Feringian Grindadrap, we discover a new lawsuit against us from those who stole from Sea Shepherd and ousted those of us who remained true to the organization’s values and goals.
Their intention is to bury us in legal costs and prevent us from taking action in defense of marine life.
Although they think they got what they wanted, they continue to be driven by jealousy, hatred and an irrational desire to control our movement.
As I’ve said many times before, an individual can be removed, an organization can be compromised and bought, but a movement cannot be destroyed.
In 1977, I created a movement. This movement survives and will flourish again. I don’t doubt it.
I remain focused and attentive. My mind and emotions are clear. I free myself in poetry.
Here, then, is my poetic response to the mutineers’ latest attack. They know who they are.”

What do you do when your life’s work has been stolen?
What do you do when they erase your history?
What do you do when they hijack your creations?
When your life has been torn apart and shattered?
When you’ve been deceived by arrogant sophistry?
To undermine the foundations of your life?
What do you do when old friends betray you?
When they sell you out for power and money?
And keep kicking you when you’re down?
What you have to do is aim for something new,
Smile, enjoy the situation,
Because those who betrayed you are clowns.
Their deception spreads across the airwaves,
Revealing their deception in broad daylight.
They lose their credibility,
Shame will follow them to the grave,
Ruining their tranquility forever.
They can’t hide their insidious game,
No matter how they justify their decisions.
Because decisions have consequences.
What they’ve taken, they can never claim,
They can’t survive on stolen visions,
Only to guarantee their security and personal interests.
Traitors know who they are,
No need to mention their dishonored names,
They’ve sold their souls and changed the rules.
But mediocrity never gets you far.
We’ll let them play their fool’s game,
For history will condemn them as fools.
As for me, I’m like a fish in water,
I’ve kept my support, I’ve got a ship,
They have but a shadow of what I have created,
These usurpers of Vermont and Amsterdam,
I retain the spirit of my work.
Despite the goods that have been confiscated.
What we keep is our passion, our courage and our care,
These are the tools of survival and success,
With these assets, we will witness a new dawn,
While they deceive the public with their tricks.
We emerge stronger from the mess.
Now that the lines of discord have been drawn,
We remain loyal to those who cannot speak.
For them, we will risk our lives and our freedom,
Whatever the obstacles, whatever the cost.
Non-violent combativeness is our way of being.
And with that, we continue the carpe diem
For the most important thing has not been lost.

* Paul Watson can no longer publish anything on Facebook following a denunciation from the 4 directors of Sea Shepherd Global.
Indeed, Paul had the audacity to publish a photo of a volunteer in the Faroe Islands dating from 2014. In one of the photos, the volunteer is wearing a cap with the Jolly Roger logo… And the 4 have complained to Facebook about copyright infringement. They’re trying to silence it, make it disappear. But we won’t let that happen…

Lamya Essemlali
President of Sea Shepherd France