Days before Canada's 150th anniversary, police arrest, release 9 erecting Indigenous ceremonial teepee

A group of Indigenous people and supporters went to Parliament Hill inCanada's capital, Ottawa, Wednesday night in an attempt to set up a teepee and perform a ritual ceremony, but were stopped by police, CBC reports.

While the teepee ceremony did eventually proceed, it was barred from taking place onthe Parliament grounds. The demonstrators say this was "not a compromise", but were "satisfied" the ceremony was able to proceed.

But police removed at least one person, and CBC reporter Elyse Skura said at least nine people were arrested and detained. Later, those individuals were released.Here is video from the sceneuploaded on social media site Twitter.

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Of the nine, some claimed police gave them a notice of tresspass, which means they cannot return to Parliament Hill for six months. This would bar them from participating in any furtherprotests coinciding with the celebrationofCanada's 150th anniversary this Saturday, July 1.

"Demonstrators were also head telling police they did not feel they needed a permit for what they considered an First Nations religious ceremony on Parliament Hill," said Omar Dabaghi-Pacheo, a CBC reporter.

The large crowd had gathered in a four-day Canada Day protest. Many different groups ofNativeshave lived in what is now called Canada well before the modern nation's 1867 founding.

According to organisers, the demonstration marks the first day of a "reoccupation" ceremony to counter Canada's upcoming 150th anniversary celebrations.