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Opponents of giant Hawaii telescope launch protest march

July 22, 2019 GMT

FILE - This July 14, 2019, file photo shows the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history: the overthrow on the Hawaiian kingdom, battles over land, water and development and questions about how the islands should be governed. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)

HONOLULU (AP) — Hundreds of opponents of a planned telescope on Hawaii’s highest peak have launched a protest march.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that activists opposed to the Thirty Meter Telescope started marching Sunday morning in Waikiki.

Last week, hundreds of protesters blocked a road on the Big Island to stop construction of the $1.4 billion telescope on Mauna Kea.

Many Native Hawaiians consider Mauna Kea to be sacred. Astronomers are hopeful the telescope will help them study the earliest moments of the universe after the Big Bang.

Democratic Gov. David Ige has said National Guard units would be used to transport personnel and equipment as well as to enforce road closures on the Big Island.

As about 800 to 1,200 activists gathered there Friday, Ige said no more troops would be called in.

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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com