Melbourne marriage equality protestor Ali Hogg, who was ejected from a café at the weekend for yelling at opposition leader Tony Abbott, says she feels she got her point across.

Hogg, who regularly plans Melbourne’s Equal Love protest actions, raced to the University Café on Lygon Street on Sunday evening when she heard Abbott was there dining with a journalist.

“We get to hear his opinions all the time – his bigotry and homophobia,” Hogg tells Same Same. “So I didn’t want to miss my chance to have a go at him.”

Along with a handful of supporters, she waved a poster promoting the next marriage equality rally at the politician, and yelled “Tony Abbott, you’re a bigot, gay marriage you don’t dig it!”

She says reactions varied among the few diners at the café. Some supported her protests and asked to have their posters, but she soon found herself being “forcibly” escorted away. Abbott was calm. “He told us that we’d made our point and could we go,” Hogg recounts.

After being ejected from the eatery, the small group continued to chant their slogans at the window:

Hogg says she’s got no regrets and is proud she stood up to Abbott, especially after hearing he has a sister in a lesbian relationship but that he still does not support marriage equality. “His actions make people feel small,” she says. “I think more people should challenge him on his homophobia.”

The next national day of action on marriage equality is May 12, with marches planned in several cities.