By recent standards, the small band of activists gathered on the side of Kings Highway are rather tame. Soaking wet, but in high spirits, they've been camped outside the Bungendore rodeo for hours, attempting to get under the skin of anyone coming or going.
"Warning: Animal abuse inside," one placard reads.
"Yes, we're all employed," says another.
Cars scream past at 100 kilometres per hour. At least one swerves dangerously close to the group. Several drivers leaving the rodeo try to splash mud on the protesters, although most give them a wide berth.
Abrasive as their signs might be, this quiet collective is a far cry from Extinction Rebellion demonstrators who recently staged a mass "die-in" on London Circuit, or the protesters who glued themselves to the ground while blockading a mining conference in Melbourne last week.
That chaos prompted Prime Minister Scott Morrison to warn, "A new breed of radical activism is on the march. Apocalyptic in tone, all or nothing... Alternative views not permitted. A dogma that pits cities against regional Australia. One that cannot resist sneering at wealth creating and job creating industries and the livelihoods, particularly of regional Australians."
The Coalition government has foreshadowed a crack down on environmental groups who target banks, insurance agencies and consultants who provide services to the mining and resources sector though secondary boycotts.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said on Sunday Mr Morrison's comments were "anti-democratic" and reflected "the sort of comments that we've seen from right-wing leaders overseas".
But Labor hasn't been immune from that sort of rhetoric either. In a party room debate over so-called ag-gag laws, Mr Albanese said the party was under no obligation to protect "vegan terrorists".
That's a label Animal Justice party representative Chris Sutevski bristles against. He has been protesting this rodeo and others in the region for years, and tries to do so in a non-combative way.
"We're not here to cause any trouble or violence or anything like that," Mr Sutevski said.
"We're here to show support and solidarity with the animals who are being used and abused today."
Mr Sutevski doesn't believe it's a city versus the bush issue. "I'm from Queanbeyan. A lot of us here are from country towns. The city versus country is a nice little simple narrative to try and drum up the public but I don't think it's that simple."
Bungendore Rodeo Committee president Greg Darmody rejects any allegations of cruelty at the event wholeheartedly.
The contractors and the riders have to meet strict standards in order to compete, and the animals have been bred specifically for rodeos, he said.
"It's not as rough and ready as it used to be," Mr Darmody said.
"You can't just run raw stock in here, they've got to be educated so the animal doesn't suffer. Those magnificent horses you saw bucking just there, they've been bred for years to do that ... and they have a great life."
The rodeo is part of Bungendore's "heritage", Mr Darmody said.
The Anglican and Catholic parishes have run it for nearly 60 years as a way to raise money to fund their other work in the community.
Around 50 riders competed on Sunday, some from as far away as Western Australia. "It's great for the town," Mr Darmody said.
Mr Darmody hasn't paid the protesters at the gate much mind and he doubts anyone else attending the rodeo will either.
"They're getting too much air time in my opinion," Mr Darmody said.
"They've got an agenda they want to make and we don't push our agendas on them so I've got no time for them."
But Mr Sutevski believes they are making a dent. In the past, people have approached him after the event concerned at what they had seen.
"At least now they know there's a community out there that does oppose it," he said.
Protester Yana del Valle is concerned more broadly about the talk of clamping down on protesters.
She's been fighting to improve animal welfare for around 15 years, and is concerned by attempts to paint activists as terrorists.
"If we can't speak for the animals, who will?" Ms del Valle said.
