MIRROR -- RCMP say they ticketed four people after an anti-lockdown rally was attended by hundreds in central Alberta over the weekend.

A “Save Alberta Campout Protest” was held Saturday outside the Whistle Stop Cafe in the hamlet of Mirror, Alta., to support owner Chris Scott as health officials had closed his business earlier in the week.

Alberta Health Services had said they received hundreds of complaints about the cafe and that it had not been complying with COVID-19 restrictions.

Scott, who also organized the rally, stood on a stage in the rain and rallied the crowd to challenge measures meant to curb the spread of the virus.

He was arrested a few hours later and RCMP say they ticketed four people under the Public Health Act for attending the gathering.

A court decision last week gives health authorities and the RCMP the power to take legal action to stop any planned protests of public health restrictions.