Hawaii law enforcement officials arrested several people protesting the construction of a massive telescope on top of the Mauna Kea in Big Island after the protestors blocked the road to the construction site, which is considered a sacred place by Native Hawaiians.
The protestors, who call themselves "protectors," oppose the construction of the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) on top of Big Island's highest peak, which is considered the home of their gods and the place where their creation story begins. They also believe the construction of a massive telescope on top of the mountain will pose detrimental effects to the flora and fauna found in the area.
Twelve of the 300 protestors were arrested after blocking the road leading up to the mountain, preventing 15 trucks from making their way to the construction site and causing workers to wait for eight hours before heading down the mountain. A similar incident occurred on Monday, and police have warned that arrests would be made in future incidences. The arrested protestors were released after posting $250 in bail each.
"I wouldn't call it civil disobedience. We consider it civil assistance," says Kahooki Kanuha of Kailua-Kona, one of those arrested, in an interview with Hawaii News Now. "We were attempting to assist the authorities in upholding the law. And those who are being disobedient to the law are those with TMT, who are continuing to break the regulations of developing on conservational land."
If constructed, the controversial telescope would allow scientists to see up to 13 billion light years away, making it an important tool in gaining insights into how the universe began. Scientists say Mauna Kea, which is already home to a dozen telescopes housed at various observatories, is the ideal place to construct the telescope because it has all the conditions for favorable astronomical observation. The summit is located above the clouds, keeping it dry and free from atmospheric pollution, and is far from Big Island's city lights that could prevent the observation of small celestial bodies.
However, the protestors question whether Native Hawaiian groups were consulted during the land appraisals required before the approval of the project.
"They stood up for religious freedom," says Palikapu Dedman of the Pele Defense Fund. "I think that we've been neglected that as Native Hawaiians, our religious rights. And yet it's a national and international right to our religion."
Gary Sanders, project manager of the telescope construction, says the project had undergone a seven-year public process to obtain the permission to develop on the site.
"Like most people in the community, we truly believe that science and culture can co-exist on Mauna Kea as it has for the past 50 years along with other public uses," Sanders says in a statement.
Photo: Alan L. | Flickr
