Jason Momoaflew to his native state of Hawaii to join ongoing protests against the building of a telescope on a sacred mountain.
TheAquamanactor went back to his roots and brought his young kids along to join the 17th day of protest against plans to build on the sacred Mauna Kea mountain on Wednesday. The group has been blocking the access road to the country’s tallest mountain in hopes of stopping construction.
“I just want to say that I’m thankful to the protectors and the stewards of this land, and we are not going anywhere,” Momoa told the crowd, according to theHonolulu Star-Advertiser.
Jason Momoa protests telescope construction.Hollyn Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP
The actor also documented his experience on Instagram, where he uploaded a video to his Story while heading out of the island after the protest.
“Aloha everyone, I’m home. My family and my babies are here,” Momoa says at the beginning of the video. “I love you, I loved being there, I loved supporting everyone, I loved interviewing everyone. We’re gonna get our voices out there, it’s my duty. I love you and I’ll see you soon. I’ll be back.”
Momoa isn’t the only celebrity to join the protests. Just last week, Dwayne Johnson made a surprise appearance to help protect the island he called home for a few years in his childhood.
Johnson, who arrived at the tenth day of protests, told the crowd he was honored to be with them and said, “I stand with you,” according to theAssociated Press.
“This is such a critical moment and a pivotal time. Because the world is watching,” he added.
“I realized as I was leaving it is much more than a telescope, it is people who have so much pride and are willing to sacrifice everything they have to protect something that is so incredibly sacred to them,” Johnson told reporters onsite.
Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kimtold the APhe’s organizing a meeting between the government and Native Hawaiian leaders, adding he hopes the two groups can meet in the middle.
“We do not want this to become the cause of a polarized community,” Kim told the newswire. “That to me is a main issue here.”
source: people.com
