A protest was held in Paris on Wednesday to demand the release of Paul Watson, founder of anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, who has been detained in Greenland, the autonomous territory of Denmark, and is facing an extradition request from Japan.
Many protesters gathered in front of the city hall of Paris. They held placards, including one reading that saving whales is not a crime, and chanted that Japan is guilty and that Denmark is an accomplice.
Japan has placed Watson, 73, on an international wanted list on suspicion of obstructing the country's research whaling, demanding his extradition.
In Greenland, an extension of Watson's detention was decided on Wednesday.
France is an anti-whaling country, and Watson has appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron for political asylum in the country.
According to a person who joined the protest, some consumers started a boycott of Japanese products in a show of protest.
A 60-year-old woman who lives on the outskirts of Paris said that she thought Japan was a great country but that the Watson case has made the image of Japan very bad.
A 49-year-old pianist who came from Normandy in northern France expressed complicated feelings over the case because of being a fan of Japanese culture. The pianist, who opposes whaling on animal welfare grounds, said that there should be more communication with Japan to avoid collisions.
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