PROTESTERS have sparked online debate after gathering outside Hog's Breath Cafe at Cleveland, chanting and smearing fake blood on the ground on Sunday afternoon.
About 2pm, roughly 15 protesters from the Brisbane branch of Direct Action Everywhere walked into the Raby Bay dining precinct, wearing shirts with fake bloody hand prints and carrying signs and screens showing footage from the inside of slaughterhouses.
Footage from the protest, which was livestreamed on the organisation's Facebook page, shows the group walking to the restaurant complex past the train station, before arriving outside Hog's Breath Cafe and playing a siren sound over a megaphone.
A number of group members spoke over the megaphone and led chants.
Some stamped fake blood handprints on the ground outside the restaurant.
"We need to continue being a voice for the animals and speaking out for them. We're going to ... speak to the public and say that we, as a society, have blood on our hands," group member Leah Doellinger said in the video.
Some frustrated diners called out to the protesters asking them to leave.
The group left the area after about 15 minutes, following what appeared to be be a brief physical scuffle involving a small number of people.
Some witnesses of the protest took to social media, with one diner describing the scene as 'awkward', while another said the protesters were passive aggressive and noisy.
A police spokesman said officers had attended as protesters were leaving and had spoken with restaurant patrons and staff, as well as protest organisers.
No official complaints were made.
A Hog's Breath Cafe staff member declined to comment.
The event sparked debate on social media, with some people defending the group's actions while others said people deserved to eat their Sunday lunch in peace.
The following video contains strong language.
