Protesters opposing the construction of a $ 1.4billion telescope on a mountain in Hawaii they consider to be sacred were arrested after blocking a road leading to the site . Police arrested 12 protesters Thursday when they tried to block trucks heading to the peak of Mauna Kea where one of the world 's largest telescopes is being built . While the Native Hawaiian groups do not oppose the Thirty Meter Telescope itself , they disagree with the location of the construction on Mauna Kea - the highest point in the state which is considered a home of deities . About 300 people took part in the demonstration and those who were arrested were released after they each posted a $ 250 bail . Scroll down for video . Department of Land and Natural Resources officers arrest a Thirty Meter Telescope protester at the telescope building site on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hilo , Hawaii on Thursday . Thirty Meter Telescope protesters chant after being arrested from the telescope building site on the summit of Mauna Kea . Native Hawaiians believe the site where the telescope is being assembled is sacred because it is where their creation story begins , said Kealoha Pisciotta , an opponent of the telescope project . And scientists believe the site is ideal location for one of the world 's largest telescopes because of its remote and sheltered position , nestled in the crater of a dormant volcano . 'It is the burial grounds of some of our most sacred and revered ancestors , ' said she said . 'It is a place where we go for sanctuary and release from the world around us , and it is also the home of our god . ' All of the highest points in the islands are considered the home of deities , according to Pisciotta . ' I would n't consider it civil disobedience . We consider it civil assistance , ' protestor Kahookahi Kanuha said reports Hawaii News Now . 'We were attempting to assist the authorities in upholding the law . 'And those who are being disobedient to the law are those with TMT , who are continuing to break the regulations of developing on conservational land . ' After the vehicles were allowed to pass , about 40 to 50 people began following the trucks , which moved slowly because of their heavy loads . Protesters are preventing construction of a giant telescope near the summit of a mountain held sacred by Native Hawaiians . Some consider the $ 1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope project as desecrating the Big Island 's Mauna Kea ( on Monday protesters formed a road block outside the Mauna Kea visitors center ) Department of Land and Natural Resources officers lead Thirty Meter Telescope protesters from the telescope building site on the summit of Mauna Kea on Thursday . Work got underway after protesters were arrested and their path was cleared to the summit , Sandra Dawson , a spokeswoman for the project , said in an email to The Associated Press . Police said they warned protesters after an incident Monday that anyone who blocked the road would be arrested . On Monday , more than 50 protesters formed a roadblock Monday that stopped about 15 vehicles carrying workers up Mauna Kea , causing workers to wait more than eight hours before making their way down the mountain . 'We regret that police action had to be taken to enable our legal access to the project site , ' Thirty Meter Telescope project manager Gary Sanders said in a statement relating to Thursday 's arrests . Opponents who question whether land appraisals were done correctly and whether Native Hawaiian groups had been consulted have tried to prevent the construction of the telescope . A Department of Land and Natural Resources officer , center left , comforts a Thirty Meter Telescope protester on the summit . Protests also disrupted a groundbreaking and Hawaiian blessing ceremony last year , but no one was arrested . In fact , some protesters who yelled during the ceremony later apologized to event organizers and helped put away chairs , Pisciotta said . 'We said aloha to each other , and we hugged , ' she said . University of Hawaii spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said in a telephone interview that the university is saddened about the arrests , but that access to site must be maintained . 'If the university had a heart , it would be broken right now , ' he said about Thursday 's arrests . However , 'we have to make sure the road is safe for whoever wants to be there . ' The university sub-leases the land atop Mauna Kea for the telescope project , and it has always maintained that protesters would have free access to the site as long as they were not breaking any laws , he said . Meisenzahl said he was not certain why the arrests were made . The observatory is expected to be operational by 2024 , the same year a 39-meter telescope is expected to be completed in Chile .
several protesters were arrested after blocking road leading to construction site of one of the world 's largest glaciers , mount Meter Telescope . they believe location on mount Kea , the highest mountain in the state , is considered a home of deities . The protesters who were arrested were released after posting $ 250 bail .