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Hawaiians Protest Statehood; Vow to Take Over

Monarchists blockade royal palace

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 1, 2008 4:12 AM CDT

(Newser) – A group of native Hawaiian activists seized the grounds of the state's old royal palace in Honolulu yesterday and vowed to take over, CNN reports. They locked the gates and announced they would rule the government from there. The group, one of several which rejects Hawaii's statehood and seeks to restore the constitutional monarchy deposed in 1893 with the help of the US, vowed to return each day.

Mahealani Kahau, head of the  group known as the Hawaiian Kingdom Government, speaks to the media after her group occupied the ground of the Iolani Palace, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in Honolulu.
Mahealani Kahau, head of the group known as the Hawaiian Kingdom Government, speaks to the media after her group occupied the ground of the Iolani Palace, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in Honolulu.   (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Ko Olina Resort in Oahu, Hawaii, Jan 2008
Ko Olina Resort in Oahu, Hawaii, Jan 2008   ((c) Omar A.)
The statue of King Kamehameha is covered in flowers after the annual lei-draping ceremony in Honolulu, Friday, June 8, 2007.  King Kamehameha Day, Monday, June 11, is a state holiday in Hawaii.  Kamehameha conquered the Hawaiian islands over a twenty year period, beginning in 1790, establishing the Hawaiian Kingdom in...
The statue of King Kamehameha is covered in flowers after the annual lei-draping ceremony in Honolulu, Friday, June 8, 2007. King Kamehameha Day, Monday, June 11, is a state holiday in Hawaii. Kamehameha...   (AP Photo/Carol Cunningham)
Honolulu Firefighter Ocean Kaowili embraces the statue of King Kamehameha with a traditional nose to nose Hawaiian greeting during the annual lei-draping ceremony, in Honolulu, Friday, June 8, 2007.
Honolulu Firefighter Ocean Kaowili embraces the statue of King Kamehameha with a traditional nose to nose Hawaiian greeting during the annual lei-draping ceremony, in Honolulu, Friday, June 8, 2007.   (AP Photo/Carol Cunningham)
The statue of King Kamehameha is covered in flowers after the annual lei-draping ceremony in Honolulu, Friday, June 8, 2007.  King Kamehameha Day, Monday, June 11, is a state holiday in Hawaii.  Kamehameha conquered the Hawaiian islands over a twenty year period, beginning in 1790, establishing the Hawaiian Kingdom in...
The statue of King Kamehameha is covered in flowers after the annual lei-draping ceremony in Honolulu, Friday, June 8, 2007. King Kamehameha Day, Monday, June 11, is a state holiday in Hawaii. Kamehameha...   (AP Photo/Carol Cunningham)
A sign is posted by  Native Hawaiian group that advocates sovereignty on the gate of the Iolani Palace, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in Honolulu.
A sign is posted by Native Hawaiian group that advocates sovereignty on the gate of the Iolani Palace, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in Honolulu.   (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
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