Rejecting the continued U.S. occupation of the sovereign nation of Hawaii, a group of Native Hawaiians has re-established its own government, named the Hawaiian Kingdom Government. On April 30, that government reclaimed the Iolani Palace, home of the last Hawaiian monarchs before they were overthrown by U.S. interests in 1893. The palace is now run as a museum.
About 70 members of this Hawaiian government arrived at the palace at 5:30 a.m. on April 30 and posted “No Trespassing” signs on the gates. Guards with the government, posted at the entrances, explained the action to visitors. They held the palace for six hours, while employees of the palace museum were sent home.
The Hawaiian Kingdom Government’s Web site states:
“Since the Spanish-American War, 1898, our Nation has been under prolonged occupation by the United States of America. ... The primary objective of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government is to expose the occupation of our nation ... and to provide a foundation for transition and the ultimate end of the occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom.”
The government is part of a broad sovereignty movement in Hawaii and has registered thousands of Native Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians as citizens.
U.S. theft of Hawaiian lands
Hawaii Not a US State (Hawaiians Stand Up for their Sovereignty)