Breastfeeding mom's Facebook protest leads to 'nurse-in' at Victoria pizzeria

A Victoria mother, who says she was asked to leave a pizza restaurant while breastfeeding, held a "nurse-in" Friday afternoon to protest.

A slew of moms with babies in strollers turned up at Second Slice Pizza on Douglas Street after seeing a Facebook post by Brianna Donovan calling on mothers to protest "breasts under arrest."

"I'd like to stand up and let it be known to other people that it's not right to kick people out for breastfeeding their children," Donovan told CBC News.

Donovan said she visited the restaurant on Thursday, and was asked to leave by an employee when she began nursing her five-month-old baby.

She posted about her experience on Facebook and, surprised by the positive response and support, decided to organize the breastfeeding protest in front of the restaurant.

The manager of the store, Yasser Valizadeh, told CBC News Donovan was not asked to leave because she was breastfeeding, but that the group she was with had been asked to move on because they were loitering.

"She just happened to be a part of that group. We never even talked to the mother directly."

Valizadeh says his restaurant would never throw a woman out for breastfeeding, but according to Donovan's Facebook post, the employee told her that if she didn't leave, the police would be called.

Breastfeeding in a public place is a right enshrined in British Columbia's Human Rights Code.