Re: => Hawaiian Resistance Fighters overtake Palace from U$ Occupying Forces <= U$ Out of Hawaii !!
Reality_CheckŠ
>> Activists arrested after Hawaiian palace takeover
>> a.. Protesters calling for Hawaii's sovereignty took over historic
>> palace
>> b.. Officers climbed fence and arrested about 20 people
>>
>> c.. Palace worker claims to have been assaulted by protesters
>>
>> d.. Governor promises investigation into police response
>>
>> HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- A group of Native Hawaiians claiming to be
>> the state's legitimate rulers occupied the grounds of a historic
>> palace for two hours before being arrested by state officers in the
>> second recent takeover of its kind.
>>
>> A staff member of the Iolani Palace said she was assaulted and
>> slightly injured during the takeover Friday night and then snubbed by
>> city police who claimed that they didn't have jurisdiction. Gov.
>> Linda Lingle said Saturday that there would be an investigation into
>> the police response to the takeover.
>>
>> A group of men, wearing red shirts with "security" stenciled in
>> yellow on the back, took over the grounds by chaining the gates of
>> the palace next to the State Capitol and posted signs saying,
>> "Property of the Kingdom of Hawaiian Trust."
>>
>> Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of the Friends of Iolani
>> Palace, said he and other staff members were locked down in the
>> palace and a nearby administration building during the takeover.
>>
>> "They've got a king, and the king wants to sit on the throne," de
>> Alba Chu said.
>>
>> State law officers climbed over the fence a couple of hours after the
>> takeover began and made about 20 arrests. The palace, normally open
>> to tours, will remain closed during the weekend to assess any damage
>> and to ensure its security, police said.
>>
>> Ah Yuen, an Iolani Palace employee, said she was assaulted by
>> protesters and called for help from a Honolulu police officer, who
>> told her the palace grounds were not under city police jurisdiction.
>>
>> Witnesses said the confrontation started when Yuen went to the palace
>> gate and talked with the protesters, who locked the gate with a chain
>> and then forced their way into the palace itself before officers from
>> the state Department of Land and Natural Resources came to arrest
>> them.
>> Lingle said the people who invaded the palace "have to be shown it's
>> not going to be acceptable."
>>
>> "This is one of the most cherished sites in our state," Lingle said.
>> "We always have to try to strike a balance between public access and
>> security for the building and for the people there."
>>
>> Laura H. Theilen, director of the Department of Land and Natural
>> Resources, which oversees the palace, condemned the takeover.
>>
>> "We intend to charge them to the fullest extent of the law," Thielen
>> said.
>> The pro-sovereignty group identified its leader as King Akahi Nui,
>> who was among those arrested. An "occupation public information
>> bulletin" distributed by a member of the group began: "Majesty Akahi
>> Nui, the King of Hawaii, has now reoccupied the throne of Hawaii. The
>> Kingdom of Hawaii is now re-enacted."
>>
>> Akahi Nui claims to have been crowned in 1998.
>>
>> The takeover of the palace -- built in 1882, when the islands were
>> ruled by a monarchy -- came on Admission Day, a state holiday marking
>> Hawaii's admission to the United States on August 21, 1959.
>>
>> Several Native Hawaiian organizations have rival claims to
>> sovereignty over the islands. Another group calling itself the
>> Hawaiian Kingdom Government occupied the palace grounds April 30 and
>> has been getting permits to set up on the grounds each week since
>> then. That group claims to be operating a functioning government from
>> the palace grounds.
>> The ornate palace is operated as a museum of Hawaiian royalty. King
>> Kalakaua built it, and it also served as the residence for his sister
>> and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, the islands' last ruling monarch.
>> Liliuokalani was imprisoned in the palace after the 1893
>> U.S.-supported overthrow of the monarchy.
>>
>> After falling into disrepair, the palace was restored in the 1970s as
>> a National Historic Landmark. It now includes a gift shop and is open
>> for school groups and offers tours.
>>
>> Hawaiian activists have long used the site for protests against the
>> U.S. occupation of the islands.