Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO and billionaire, has been accused of “colonizing” a Hawaiian island, the New York Post reports.
Mia Brier, a native Hawaiian, is calling Zuckerberg “greedy,” for suing Native Hawaiians who own property near his $100 million estate on the island of Kauai. Over a million people have signed a change.org petition started by Brier.
“Mark Zuckerberg is the sixth richest man in the world… and he is suing Native Hawaiians in Kauai for their land so he can build a mansion. They have built lives there. They have built families there. Hawaiians are already mistreated enough as is. We need to let them have this,” shared Brier.
In 2017, Zuckerberg filed lawsuits against landowners of about 12 tiny parcels surrounding his mansion. He has since dropped the lawsuits but used a local resident to sue on his behalf.
A Zuckerberg spokesperson told Newsweek that “the premise of this petition is false.” They continued, “Mark is not suing native Hawaiians and no one has been forced off of the land. At the beginning of 2017, Mark withdrew as a plaintiff from the process to clear title on the land he purchased in Kauai.”
Source: AJ+/YouTube
Despite this petition, which garnered more than one million signatures, Zuckerberg recently purchased a 600-acre plot for $53 million on Kauai’s North Shore. Waioli Corporation, the nonprofit from which they purchased the property, is excited about the sale. Sam Pratt, the president of Waioli Corporation said, “The decision provides Waioli with the financial ability to be able to continue our critical Conservation and historical work and ensure that Kauai’s cultural history continues to be shared in the community for years to come.” People have taken to Twitter to voice their criticism, tweeting “colonizers gonna colonize” and noting the irony of it occurring during AAPI heritage month.
You can sign the petition below.
Read more about billionaires in One Green Planet, check out these articles:
- Chamath Palihapitiya announced investment into climate change technologies
- Bill Gates Tackles How to Avoid Climate Disaster in New Book
- Bill Gates Says Rich Countries Should Eat Synthetic Meat to Avoid Climate Disaster
- Elon Musk to Give $100 Million Prize to Develop Technology to Capture Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Mark Zuckerberg Thinks Smart Glasses Will Help Combat Climate Change
- Rules to Participate in Elon Musk’s $100 Million Carbon Removal Competition
For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Also, don’t forget to download the Food Monster App on iTunes — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
Comments