Animal rights protests brought traffic in major Australian cities to a halt Monday, inspiring a massive backlash online from frustrated meateaters who were forced to stew in their own juices in the rush hour backlog.

Organized by the creators of the 2018 documentary ‘Dominion’, which explores the “dark underbelly” of the animal agriculture industry, the huge protest swept across the country from the early hours of Monday.

Bloke with his toddler in a pram tells protesters they’re “absolutely pathetic” for blocking the Melbourne CBD to push veganism. @newscomauHQpic.twitter.com/V70uMG75xv — Rohan Smith (@Ro_Smith) April 7, 2019

Listen, if you want to be #vegan then go ahead. I’m happy for you. What I’m not happy for you to do is push it on me. I’ve seen the documentaries, I know where my food comes from but all these protests do is piss people off. It’s not helping anyone — nicole (@nicolejay06) April 8, 2019

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lashed out at the “shameful,” “un-Australian” protests, saying the “green-collared criminals” should face the “full force of the law,” while pointing to the plight of beleaguered farmers “going through some of the hardest conditions we have seen in this country for more than a century.”

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Among the Dominion protesters’ demands were the acknowledgment of the “inherent cruelty in the process of killing animals for food, clothing and entertainment,” the banning of “intentionally deceptive marketing labels and imagery on animal products” and, rather questionably, a commitment “to screening Dominion in school curriculum for students aged 15 and over.”

I agree with your statement and I live a vegan lifestyle. I think these activist are to intense pushing their point. I was reluctant to be vegan due to the stigma. I feel too embarrassed to tell people. I guess I'm a closet vegan. 🌿 — Codez (@timatah) April 8, 2019

I was going to have a salad for lunch, instead, directly due to the #vegan terrorists in Melbourne today, I’m having a juicy beef burger - with extra bacon. #veganlifepic.twitter.com/i0KjSj2gp2 — Mark ⚓️ 🇦🇺 (@markc01) April 8, 2019

Carnivorous Aussies responded with torrents of pictures of steaks, burgers, and bacon on Twitter. Some reportedly went as far as threatening to eat a Big Mac for every minute the vegan protests delayed them. Others claimed such protests were counterproductive and would only harm the cause.

yummy food!Tomahawk from the gold coast's worst Vegan restaurant @moomoodining#VeganProtest are radical extremists and should be rocked on their heels or better grounded into the dust#auspol#EatMeatMondaypic.twitter.com/70Uata2iHw — Andy Semple (@AndyLSemple) April 8, 2019

Gonna have steak for breakfast.Then wear a leather skirt to work.Then have some collagen hydrolysate beef gelatin protein powder for my arvo snack.#VeganProtest — GemmaTognini (@GemmaTognini) April 7, 2019

#BREAKING: Police have started taking action against protesters who have shut down major roads in Melbourne CBD. #9Newspic.twitter.com/1iMA41PILd — Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) April 7, 2019

An elderly woman patted down, walked into the back of a police truck outside Flinders Street. Refused to move on when police asked. #veganprotest@newscomauHQpic.twitter.com/XQMAka8bWE — Rohan Smith (@Ro_Smith) April 7, 2019

Exclusive footage of the Green voting militant vegan protesters in Melbourne this morning. #VeganProtestpic.twitter.com/1e5nfZXm5D — Keira Savage (@KeiraSavage00) April 8, 2019

Others, however, voiced support for the protests and decried growing apathy among the citizenry about important issues.

This #vegan protest in Melbourne is not 'causing chaos' or 'affecting people's livelihoods'. It is slowing you down a little. Asking people to walk a couple hundred metres.Get over it. World needs more protesting. — Ben McKay (@benmackey) April 7, 2019

Some also took the opportunity to lament the cost of the disruption and the apparent hypocrisy of the authorities for failing to adequately rein in the protests and prevent such widespread disruption.

Hey @VictoriaPolice - Will the #vegan protesters be sent a bill for the cost of breaking up their stunt? Or will the commuters disrupted by it foot the bill a la Milo Yiannopolous? — Gideon Rozner (@GideonCRozner) April 7, 2019

“The industry is telling people these animals are being killed ethically, that they are being killed humanely — the reality is... it’s the furthest thing from humane,” the protest organizer and director of animal rights documentary Dominion, Chris Delforce, said as cited by News.com.au.

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Melbourne’s busiest intersection was closed off by vegan activists during rush hour, wreaking havoc on the city’s transport infrastructure.

Meanwhile, police arrested nine people at an abattoir in New South Wales after the protesters chained themselves to a conveyor belt at the building and refused to leave. Police removed a further 20 protesters from an abattoir in Warwick.

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