“Aquaman” star Jason Momoa has been actively protesting the construction of the Thirty Meters Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
The actor previously stated that the filming of “Aquaman 2” could not continue until the matter is settled and construction on the sacred land has been stopped.
In an Instagram post last week, he jokingly wrote, “Sorry Warner Bros we can’t shoot Aquaman 2. Because Jason got run over by a bulldozer trying to stop the desecration of his native land.”
He continued, “THIS iS NOT HAPPENING. WE ARE NOT LETTING YOU DO THIS ANYMORE. Enough is enough. Go somewhere else.”
Most recently Momoa’s “Justice League” co-star Ezra Miller stood by him in Hawaii to join the peaceful protests and show his support for his fellow DC actor and the protesters gathered on the sacred site.
Momoa later shared photos of the two on his Instagram account writing, “Love my ohana proud to stand and protect our sacred.”
From the foot of the mountain to the summit measures roughly 10,000 meters (32,808 feet), making it the tallest mountain in the world. But to native Hawaiians, the location is also a sacred temple.
“It contains some of our highest born and most revered ancestors. It is a symbol of peace and aloha,” president of the Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Kealoha Pisciotta, told the BBC.
“We allowed astronomy to have a place on the Mauna Kea but they continue to ask for more and more and more, and we have to say no at this point. Because when we say yes it means saying yes to the destruction of our endangered lands.”
As well as being a sacred landscape, the dormant volcano is also a source of water. Pisciotta added, “Human life is more important than our sense of discovery. Sense of discovery is good and all but what does it mean when you’re willing to let people get hurt?”
Momoa himself has spoken up about the cause and the sacrifice he is willing to make to fight for this cause:
“It’s definitely a fear of mine. You know, I, I love playing ‘Aquaman,’ and there may come a time where it happens that I’m on set on something that I really love and Warner Brothers, who has taken care of me and launched my career, and there’s a certain part of you that goes, ‘I’m human, this is something I care about, but it’s an injustice that I have to do something about,” he told CNN.
If construction continues, the $1.4 billion telescope would become a place for scientists to study topics such as dark matter and black holes.
Other famous actors who have visited the site to show their support for the protesters include Dwayne Johnson, who also posted a photo to his Instagram account with the caption, “This is not about stopping the progress of science. I’ll always be an advocate for science advancement, but not at the expense of human beings who are hurting.”
Featured Image via Instagram / @prideofgypsies
