Dozens of people participated in a "nurse in" protest at a Dartmouth, N.S., shopping mall Monday.

A store at Mic Mac Mall asked a breastfeeding mother to leave last week. It quickly apologized, but about 70 women, men and children went to Claire's anyway. About 35 women nursed.

The protest was interrupted by one woman who confronted a mother as she nursed her child. It was not clear what upset the woman, but security arrived and she left. The incident was caught in the above video.

The women breastfed in front of the store for a few minutes.

Raising awareness

Amy Boudreau came with her daughter in support of her friend — the mother who was asked to leave.

"We don't think it's right that our kids should have to eat in closets, in hallways and bathrooms," she said. "You can walk down the hallway eating a chocolate bar and nobody is going to tell you no. Why can't she?"

Boudreau said she wanted to build awareness about breastfeeding. "We're just trying to provide for our child what they need to have. We're not trying to show off or make a big deal," she said.

Kelly Shepherd said she was there to make it more acceptable. "Maybe it will make people think twice before staring. I almost feel like we're bullied some times," she said.

Glen Allen attended with his wife and young child.

"I'm just here to support everyone who's here for breastfeeding," he said. "We made a choice to do what's natural and what we feel is right for our children and we're treated like we're doing something wrong. It's getting out of hand."

Manager asked mother to leave

Kendra-Ann Nugent was shopping at the store on Christmas Eve when her eight-month-old daughter Brooke-Lynn became fussy.

Nugent asked an employee for a chair and started to breastfeed her baby in the back of the accessories store.

She said she used her husband's winter jacket to cover herself, but while she was in the middle of breastfeeding an assistant manager asked her to leave.

It was the second breastfeeding incident in a week in Nova Scotia. The province apologized on Dec. 23 after food safety inspectors warned a restaurant owner against breasfeeding on the job.

Nova Scotia declared breastfeeding a human right in 2000. The act states:

"The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the area of 'the provision of or access to services and facilities.' Women have the right to breast-feed a child in public areas, including restaurants, retail stores and shopping centres, theatres and so forth. Women should not be prevented from nursing a child in a public area, nor asked to move to another area that is more 'discreet.'"