Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III became a leader of the Mau movement, the Samoan independence organization. He organized non-violent protests and civil disobedience against New Zealand colonial rule, advocating for self-government and Samoan rights.

New Zealand authorities arrested Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III for his role in the Mau movement, sentencing him to imprisonment. His incarceration did not deter the movement but instead increased his status as a symbol of resistance.

During a peaceful Mau procession in Apia, New Zealand police fired into the crowd, killing Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III and ten other Samoans. The massacre became a turning point in the independence struggle, martyring Lealofi and galvanizing international support for Samoa.