HPD calls TMT protest on H-1 Freeway ‘foolish and dangerous’

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Pop-up TMT protests are happening statewide, including on Oahu roadways.

On Thursday, protesters took to the H-1 Freeway westbound for a second day, creating a slow-rolling convoy near the Ward Avenue overpass.

Traffic cameras captured police responding and traffic quickly returning to normal. One person in the convoy was arrested for outstanding warrants.

“The vehicle drivers and moped riders involved in this afternoon’s incident on the H-1 Freeway posed a hazard to themselves and everyone around them. Their actions were foolish and dangerous,” the Honolulu Police Department said, in a statement.

Several other incidents were reported elsewhere on the island, and HPD confirmed that “multiple citations” were issued.

Similar protests happened Wednesday on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu.

Police issued several citations for obstruction Wednesday afternoon to drivers involved in a slow-moving convoy on the H-1 Freeway near the Vineyard off-ramp.

Video also captured protesters at Honolulu’s airport, holding Hawaiian flags from their cars.

The traffic disruptions coincide with a growing protest at the base of Mauna Kea, where hundreds are gathered on the access road to the mountain’s summit in a bid to prevent construction equipment from going up to the planned site for the Thirty Meter Telescope.

This story will be updated.

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