The debate over same-sex marriage has turned ugly in the northern NSW town of Tamworth with a cafe owner claiming a No campaigner parked outside her business and became violent against a staff member when he was asked to move on.
"He punched one of my staff in the chest and pushed her to the ground," said Kristy Sollars, whose cafe openly supports same-sex marriage.
Rainbow flags adorn the outdoor seating area and there are signs of support inside as well.
"I have someone very close to my heart and friends who are gay and I see the struggle personally. We fly our same-sex marriage flag just to try and show some support," said Ms Sollars.
Bob McDonald is also passionate about his support of the No vote, printing posters which he has attached to a trailer so he can spread the message while driving around town.
"The whole issue of gay marriage is quite offensive to me and to many people," he said.
Mr McDonald said he has had plenty of support from like-minded people.
"We've had people pull up and thank us for doing what we are doing," he said.
A clash of ideas turns violent
Mr McDonald admits there was an incident outside the cafe, but that he was not the aggressor.
"One of the [cafe] staff members had run across the road and just started ripping our posters off the van," he said.
He denies pushing the young woman to the ground.
"As she was reaching up to grab my posters I've more or less pushed my way in front of her to stop her from ripping off my posters and that's when she fell to the ground," he said.
Police were called but no charges have been laid.
Mr McDonald wants access to the CCTV footage to prove his side of the story, but said he has been refused.
"We've been pushing for them to be charged because they have taken the law into their own hands," he said.
Intolerance not acceptable
This incident was not the first involving acts of aggression against the cafe staff.
Haley Wolfe recalls a woman trying to intimidate her by ripping up 'vote Yes' pamphlets on the cafe counter.
"[The woman] then placed [the torn up paper] on the till and slid it towards me and said 'that is my contribution'," Ms Wolfe recalled.
The young barista said she chose to ignore the gesture and simply asked for the woman's order.
"She just had the most awful scowl on her face, I think because I didn't acknowledge [her actions]. And it shouldn't be acknowledged because it is just so petty," she said.
Cafe owner Kristy Sollars said everyone is entitled to their own opinion and she will not tolerate aggression towards her young staff.
"Quite frankly, 'go to another cafe' is what I say. I don't have to serve you," she said.
