SYDNEY, Australia — The battle over plans for a gargantuan coal mine in central Australia turned violent Sunday, when a man on a horse rode into a crowd of protesters, knocking a woman unconscious before speeding away while yelling “woo-hoo” and waving his hat.

The 41-year-old horseman, whose name has not been released, has been charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle — namely the horse — after injuring a 61-year-old woman who was visiting Clermont, a small town near the proposed Adani Carmichael mine, to rally against the project with a convoy of protesters.

“This rider has ignored the shared expectation for an environment of mutual respect,” said the regional mayor, Anne Baker. “I expect they will face the full force of the law for their actions and the injury caused.”

The debate over the mine has been raging for years, ever since an Indian conglomerate, the Adani Group, laid out its plans to make Australia’s Galilee Basin one of the world’s largest coal producers. Outraged environmentalists have mobilized with the support of major global players like Greenpeace, but with Australia’s election planned for May 18, the forces for and against Adani have become more local, visible and intense.