Florent Pagny confirmed he was preparing a song in support of Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, in prison since July and under an international arrest warrant issued by Japan, reveals Le Parisien, Sunday October 13, 2024.
Gojira, Shaka Ponk and now Florent Pagny and Cali… Beyond environmental activist circles, Paul Watson has received, since his arrest in July 2024, the support of many artists, particularly from France. Imprisoned in Greenland (Denmark), this defender of large marine mammals and founder of the NGO Sea Shepherd, risks extradition to Japan, which issued the international arrest warrant, and which accuses him of having injured fishermen during his actions against Japanese whalers.
Owner of a house in Patagonia, Florent Pagny explains to the newspaper Le Parisien that he often goes to observe the majestic ballet of whales. “Frankly, I have the same feeling when you put a bullet in a deer, a peaceful animal,” declares the artist. If he recognizes that he is committing “rarely, because I am not an activist”this time he decided to support the boss of Sea Shepherd: “If my little voice can be useful, I will.”
A proposal from Francis Lalanne
Florent Pagny therefore confirmed to Le Parisien that he had recorded a song in tribute to Paul Watson. The idea is to invite other artists to add their voice to the title with him, like the improvised group of around forty American artists for the creation of the album. We are the World (1985) and his famous eponymous song, intended to fight against famine in Africa. Florent Pagny assures that the songwriter Cali will be there.
The idea was apparently suggested to him by Francis Lalanne, who left for Greenland at the end of September and plans to sing in… Greenlandic to support Paul Watson. If Francis Lalanne has regularly been controversial in recent years, for his conspiratorial positions, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis, Florent Pagny does not take this into account: “I never subscribed to his delusions. But I have known him for 35 years and when he sends me this song, I ignore all that,” he tells Le Parisien.
