HONOLULU (AP) – The state land board on Friday will consider an emergency rule restricting access to a mountain considered sacred by many Native Hawaiians after officials say a handful of people protesting construction of a giant telescope there made threats and harassed workers.
The University of Hawaii, which is responsible for stewardship of Mauna Kea, released logs kept by rangers and staff at the mountain’s visitor center since late March. That’s when protesters began staying on Mauna Kea to block construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
Incidents recorded include a bomb threat made on Facebook, protesters making a throat-slashing gesture at telescope workers, and an unidentified woman shouting to kill “haoles” – white people in Hawaiian – and tourists. There also were reports of children running across the road, feces found smeared on bathroom walls, and protesters taking souvenirs from the gift shop.
Kahookahi Kanuha, a protest leader, denied the allegations of bad behavior. He said he hasn’t witnessed any of those incidents.
“Everything has been pono,” he said, using the Hawaiian word for righteous or proper. He said participants value maintaining kapu aloha, or respectful, nonviolent protest.