Several protesters were arrested Saturday afternoon while attempting to block construction of the Atlantic Sunrise gas pipeline in West Hempfield Township.

Six people, including a Catholic priest, were taken into custody by state police shortly after 3 p.m. in the 1200 block of Prospect Road and transported to the Lancaster barracks on Lincoln Highway East for processing. All had been released by 6:30 p.m.

Police arrested 23 protesters at the site Monday when work began.

The protesters, four men and two women, were arrested Saturday after they stretched a quilt to block the entrance to the construction site as employees of Williams Partners continued work there.

Their names were not released Saturday but each will be sent a summons to appear on a misdemeanor charge of defiant trespass, according to the Lancaster County district attorney's office.

Police had given the protesters a warning to vacate an easement area. After a few minutes, the six remained and were arrested, officials said.

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The interaction with police was peaceful and the individuals were cooperative, according to the district attorney's office.

Other protesters remained at the site until 4 p.m., singing songs and carrying signs that read, "You will not endanger our people," and "Their greed runs deep, our roots run deeper." Lancaster Against Pipelines reported about 60 people had turned out for Saturday's protest.

The land on which the pipeline is set to be built is owned by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, a Catholic order of nuns.

In a statement released Friday, Williams Partners said, "We respect the rights of people to protest, but our focus remains on constructing this important, federally-approved infrastructure in a safe, efficient manner. We will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local authorities to ensure protesters and our employees are protected during the construction process."