Hundreds of protesters trying to stop the construction of a giant telescope on land some consider sacred continue to gather at the base of Hawaii's tallest mountain on Friday, as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders expressed his support for the demonstration.
Protest leader Kaho'okahi Kanuha said protesters have been bracing for law enforcement to show up in force ever since Gov. David Ige signed an emergency proclamation Wednesday giving authorities more control over access to the Big Island mountain. That was the day officers arrested 34 protesters.
Bernie Sanders tweeted his endorsement.
This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) shows the road to Mauna Kea, a mountain considered sacred by some Native Hawaiians, in the distance, free of traffic as protesters continued to block the roadway for the fourth day Thursday, July 18, 2019. The action Thursday comes a day after 33 people were arrested, many of them elderly. Activists have fought the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope in courts and on the streets for years, but the latest protest could be their final stand as they run out of legal options. (Hawaii DLNR via AP)
"We must guarantee native people's right to self-determination and their right to protest. I stand with Native Hawaiians who are peacefully demonstrating to protect their sacred mountain of Mauna Kea," Sanders said on Twitter.
Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green said he plans to meet with people about the issue.
"I believe that this struggle is more about the heart of Hawaii and our sense of self and dignity, especially for the Hawaiian people, than it is about a telescope. It is about cultural recognition and people's self worth," he said in a Facebook post.
This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) shows the road to Mauna Kea, a mountain considered sacred by some Native Hawaiians, in the distance, free of traffic as protesters continued to block the roadway for the fourth day Thursday, July 18, 2019. The action Thursday comes a day after 33 people were arrested, many of them elderly. Activists have fought the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope in courts and on the streets for years, but the latest protest could be their final stand as they run out of legal options. (Hawaii DLNR via AP)
It's the fifth day of protests at Mauna Kea in response to closing the road to the summit so that construction equipment for the Thirty Meter Telescope can be taken up. No trucks have gone up.
The Thirty Meter Telescope obtained permits from the state to build after a decade-long review process. Last year the state Supreme Court ruled the permits were obtained legally, allowing construction to move ahead.
There have been protests in other parts of Hawaii, including on Maui and at the state Capitol in Honolulu. Earlier this week, Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and teacher Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu led about a dozen people in sitting down on the floor of the reception room of the governor's office and singing.
Protesters have also gathered for speeches and waved signs at motorists passing by the Capitol and the state Supreme Court building.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported protesters slowed traffic on Honolulu's main highway, the H-1, for a second straight day on Thursday. A caravan of vehicles and mopeds forced other cars to slow to a crawl for several minutes until police cars entered the freeway in front of the procession.
April 25 – May 1, 2024
From clashes in Istanbul, to protests in Berlin, people around the world demonstrated on May Day.
Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding.
The Olympic flame started its journey to France from Greece, sailing through the Corinth canal.
This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Europe and Africa. The selection was curated by AP photographer Armando Franca in Lisbon.
Follow AP visual journalism:
AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews
X: http://twitter.com/AP_Images
Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram celebrates lying wrapped in a plastic sheet at the end of a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, April 28, 2024. Inter Milan had already clinched the Italian Serie A league title the week before. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, serves a ball to Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Smoke from pyrotechnics obscured the stadium as Monaco scored their side's first goal in the first few minutes during a French League One soccer match between Lyon and Monaco at the Groupama stadium in Decines, outside Lyon, France, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Icelandic horses are driven to their paddock for the first time in the season in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A young girl stands next to an eternal flame burning of the Unknown Soldier monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Police officers detain people who take part in a pro-Palestinians protest rally in Berlin, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union members clash with Turkish anti riot police officers as they march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A till operator packs old Zimbabwean dollar notes into a shopping basket as customers use them to buy groceries in a supermarket in Harare, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Customers have breakfast in a restaurant while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appears on a television broadcast in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. Sánchez says he will continue in office "even with more strength" after days of reflection. Sánchez shocked the country last week when he said he was taking five days off to think about his future after a court opened preliminary proceedings against his wife on corruption allegations. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
People celebrate King's Day on the canals of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)77
Pope Francis is greeted by Gondoliers upon his arrival in Venice, Italy, Sunday, April 28, 2024. The Pontiff arrived for his first-ever visit to the lagoon town including the Vatican pavilion at the 60th Biennal of Arts. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Belem, the three-masted sailing ship carrying the Olympic flame to France, is being towed through the Corinth canal in Corinth, Greece, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
People gather on a bridge where a woman's body was retrieved, after floodwater washed away houses, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
People protest for human rights during a May Day demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
