Four animal rights activists who disrupted a show at the Efteling at the weekend have each been given 100 hours community service for slander. They have also been banned from visiting the amusement park for three months, the public prosecution department said.

The four, two men and two women, entered the area carrying protest placards during a performance which featured a horse galloping with a burning blanket on its back.

The activists were wearing white t-shirts and carrying placards emblazoned with slogans, one of which said: ‘The Efteling shows no respect for horses’.

Het dekje van een paard in de hens steken en het door een arena laten galopperen. 🐎🔥
Voor entertainment.😠
Schande dat dit gebeurt bij de @Efteling #dierenmishandeling pic.twitter.com/SHmmB96wdW

— Leonie Gerritsen (@L_Gerritsen) April 9, 2019

The four were handed down their sentences by the public prosecutor without the involvement of the courts.

Eyewitnesses told broadcaster NOS that children in the audience were crying after the disruption, which led to the remainder of the show being cancelled.

The Efteling says it has no intention of changing the performance and that the horse is not in any danger.