I've always thought that if it was possible to not paint the telescopes white (and I realize it isn't), it would be a lot less of an issue. If they were painte

I've always thought that if it was possible to not paint the telescopes white (and I realize it isn't), it would be a lot less of an issue. If they were painted brown they'd basically be invisible to most of the island. Instead, on a clear day, you can see them from almost anywhere on the Northern half of the island. The result is that if you're someone whose already angry about natives having lost control of the islands, foreign tourists, etc. then the fact that you also have these foreign looking domes looming over the highest point in the island perpetually at the corner of your field of view is likely to provide a constant low-level irritant. I suspect that, more than the somewhat tenuous claims of the summit having a history as a sacred site, are why the telescopes have become a focus for protest.