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TORONTO, July 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A 26-year-old pro-life woman escaped injury on Friday thanks to quick reflexes after the owner of a pub came swinging at her after she chalked pro-life messages on the public sidewalk nearby his business. 

“[This is just] another example of the pro-‘choice’ movement violently attacking women in attempt to take away their choice to publicly demonstrate,” said Alissa Golob of Campaign Life Coalition, who captured on video the harassment she and her companions experienced outside the Imperial Pub on Dundas Street, Toronto. 

Golob and two other pro-life activists had been peacefully writing pro-life messages in chalk on the sidewalk near the pub, hoping to engage the public on the issue of abortion. 

Colorful messages chalked in green, blue, white, and yellow included “Adoption, not abortion”, “300 babies die every day in Canada from abortion,” and “Abortion hurts women”. 

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A man came out of the pub, identifying himself to Golob as the owner, and demanded that the group leave, claiming that the area was private property. Golob reminded the owner that sidewalks are public property. But the owner ordered his employees to wash away the chalked messages with buckets of water. 

Unfazed, Golob and her companions decided to rewrite the messages. 

When the owner started to become aggressive towards the group, Golob began filming the altercation. 

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Footage shows the owner of the pub demanding the pro-life activists leave the area. Golob can be heard saying to her team members: “You don’t have to engage with him [the owner], I just want to make sure nothing violent happens.” 

At that point, footage shows the owner turning towards Golob and launching himself at her with raised fists shouting: “This is violence.” 

Golob escaped injury by ducking away from his blow. 

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A passerby placed himself between the owner and Golob, offering her protection. Some women passing by yelled at the owner, telling him that a man should never hit a woman, said Golob. 

LifeSiteNews contacted the pub to speak with the owner, but was told he was not available for comment. 

“I thought it would be a nice, easy pro-life activism type day by writing with sidewalk chalk in downtown Toronto,” said Golob. “The owner of the Imperial Pub however, had other ideas.” 

Golob reported the incident to the Toronto Police, but says she was disturbed when the officer she spoke to appeared to take the side of the pub owner. 

“When I called the police, Officer Humphreys told me that since the pub owner didn't ‘touch’ me there was nothing they could do. They said that if I go back a second time, and the police get called, then I would be to blame because I would be ‘disturbing the peace.’”

Golob said she told the officer it was the pub owner who was causing a disturbance over the chalked messages on the public sidewalk. 

According to Golob, the officer replied: “It's not the 'public' sidewalk; it's owned by the city of Toronto for people to use”. 

Golob then told the officer: “Aren't we part of the city of Toronto using the sidewalk”? 

LifeSiteNews contacted the Toronto Police Service for comment but was told by Constable Tony Vella that since the incident was not recorded in the police database it could not be commented on at this time. 

Golob said that the police “are not doing their job if the only person they are protecting and serving are business owners who attack young women in public.” 

This is not the first time pro-lifers have been harassed by Toronto business owners. Police charged the owner of Sam James Coffee Bar in April for throwing hot coffee on pro-life demonstrators who were holding signs and handing out leaflets to teens at a nearby high school. The pro-lifers were not hurt since their signs shielded them from the scalding liquid. 

See Youtube video of harassment here