Rally set Saturday on ‘A’ Mountain to protest huge telescope in Hawaii

Protesters are heading to “A” Mountain in Tempe on Saturday to bring awareness to the building of a controversial telescope on sacred land in Hawaii.

The protesters are asking for a complete halt on construction of the land atop Mauna Kea, some saying it would desecrate a place of religious importance to native Hawaiians.

“Mauna Kea is ancestrally, culturally and spiritually sacred to Kanaka Maoli, and the spiritual and physical health of the mountain is reflective of the spiritual and physical health of her people,” protesters wrote on their petition.

On Wednesday, thousands of protesters blocked a road to Mauna Kea to stop construction of the telescope. Protest leader Kealoha Pisciotta told the Associated Press that police took away about 30 elders who were prepared to be arrested as they blocked the road to the state’s highest peak.

The massive Thirty Meter Telescope would allow astronomers to look into the early ages of the universe, nearly 13 billion years ago, according to an Associated Press report. The telescope will cost $1.4 billion and is expected to be one of the world’s most advanced, with a size three times as wide as the largest existing light telescope in the world, AP reported.

While this is Arizona’s first protest against the construction, native Hawaiians have been against it for years. Plans for the telescope began in 2009 when scientists selected the peak for its consistently clear weather and minimal light pollution, but construction stopped in 2015 after 31 protesters were arrested for blocking the road.

Another protest a few months later ended with more arrests. Hawaii County Managing Director Wil Okabe said about 2,000 protesters packed the base of Mauna Kea after the arrests, AP reported.

Last year, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that telescope officials had obtained a permit, allowing them to begin construction, but Hawaiians continue to fight against it.

Protesters filed a lawsuit in response and continue to block paths atop the mountain.

Protesters in Tempe are gathering to support the native Hawaiians “in spirit” and encourage others to bring signs and flags, according to a Facebook post. The protest in Tempe is from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The petition has over 54,800 signatures for the immediate halt on construction.