Return to the Hawaiian Independence Home Page, the News Articles Index, or the Political Prisoner page
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 16:36:34 CDT ----------------------------------
Reply-To: ww@wwpublish.com
Sender: Activists Mailing List
From: NY Transfer News Collective
Subject: Hawaiian activist jailed (WW 8/31)
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the August 31, 1995, issue of Workers World
newspaper
---------------------------------
FBI agents arrested Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele, leader of thepro-sovereignty group Nation of Hawaii, at Honolulu airport Aug. 2.
Kanahele is being held without bail at the Halawa CorrectionalFacility in Oahu. He is charged with "harboring a fugitive"--Nathan Brown, a Hawaiian tax protester.
Kanahele's trial is slated for October.
On Aug. 7 Kanahele told reporters, "I'm a political prisoner."
INDIGENOUS STRUGGLE
The Nation of Hawaii organization does not recognize the legalauthority of either the U.S. government or the state of Hawaii.
Members fasten "Nation of Hawaii" license plates onto their carsto substitute for state plates. They have repeatedly defied stateauthorities' threats to move against their community.
They have actually distributed legal warrants against state andfederal officials. The warrants declare that the officials areviolating Hawaiian law and committing "crimes against humanity"by harassing Hawaiian people.
When Kanahele was denied bail, U.S. Attorney Les Osborne accusedthe Nation of Hawaii of stockpiling weapons near its village inWaimanalo on Oahu. Many Hawaiians consider this charge both falseand ludicrous. Waimanalo is a stone's throw from the giant Marinebase in Kaneohe. There, U.S. soldiers conduct round-the-clockmaneuvers with the most modern, destructive weapons.
Last year, the U.S. government finally apologized for illegallytaking over the Hawaiian Islands in the 1890s. But the racistdenial of the right of indigenous Hawaiian people toself-determination continues.
On Aug. 4, hundreds of people demonstrated in support of Kaneheleat the Oahu Federal Building and on the neighboring islands ofKauai and Maui. They demanded his immediate release.
(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint grantedif source is cited. For more information contact Workers World,55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@wwpublish.com. Forsubscription info send message to: ww-info@wwpublish.com.)