A photo of Mark Zuckerberg recently went viral as the billionaire was photographed surfboarding while his face was covered in a thick layer of sunblock.
The images sparked a lot of jokes on Twitter, where users compared it to “whiteface.”
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The Daily Show commented, “SPF a million isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? SPF a BILLION.”
However, others noted that they didn’t have a problem with the sunscreen. They were concerned with the “quiet title” lawsuits that he has filed against hundreds of Hawaiians who owned stakes inside the 700 acres of land he purchased on Kauai’s North Shore.
The images of Zuckerberg surfing slathered in sunscreen has caused an uptick in signatures of a petition calling to “Stop Mark Zuckerberg from Colonizing Hawaii.”
“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.” The petition reads, “They have built lives there. They have built families there. Hawaiians are already mistreated enough as is. We need to let them have this.”
It continues, “Their land is important to them. He’s building a mansion to what? Live in Kauai for two months out of the year? This is inhuman. It is sick. He needs to be stopped.”
The petition has nearly reached its goal of one million signatures.
In a comment to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg denied the allegations, saying that the billionaire had withdrawn the lawsuits in 2017, and that “no one has been forced off of the land.”
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“At the beginning of 2017, Mark withdrew as a plaintiff from the process to clear title on the land he purchased in Kauai. Before Mark acquired the land, it was set to be subdivided by a commercial developer and built into 80 homes.” A Zuckerberg statement read.
“Instead, the property is being used as a working ranch and family retreat, designed in partnership with local families and experts to help create and maintain sustainable agriculture activities while preserving its natural beauty and protecting native wildlife.”
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