A woman was arrested for punching a pro-life activist in the face during an interview in New York. The street interview in Harlem quickly turned violent when Brianna J. Rivers sucker-punched activist Savannah Craven Antao during a discussion on abortion.
The New York Police Department confirmed Rivers’ arrest on Thursday for second-degree assault, according to the New York Post.
The viral interview shows 23-year-old Craven Antao asking pointed questions regarding abortion and Planned Parenthood. The verbal exchange quickly escalated when Rivers, who is 20 years old, gave up on explaining why abortion is justifiable.
“You don’t understand the magnitude of having a child,” Rivers said.
Craven Antao fired back by referencing claims Rivers made earlier in the interview, saying, “I’m not the one who admitted they would be OK with killing babies in foster care and killing children that have been abused.”
Shortly after, Rivers abruptly landed multiple punches into Craven Antao’s face. After the beating, Rivers stormed off while yelling a crude remark at the activist’s husband, who was filming the interview.
The assault left the activist with two cuts, according to the New York Post. In a subsequent video and images shared online, she can be seen with blood streaming down her face and chest. She reportedly sought medical assistance for her injuries and received several stitches.
Following Rivers’ arrest, Craven Antao posted on Instagram, “Just got word from detectives Brianna J. Rivers was arrested! God is good! #BlueLivesMatter #JusticeIsServed #ThankYouGod.”
Many social media users condemned the use of violence as a solution to disagreements and agreed with the arrest. However, some believe that Craven Antao was twisting Rivers’ words and antagonising her, making the attack justifiable.
Rivers also took to social media, addressing the incident with a Facebook post that defended her actions. She claimed she was provoked in the interview and accused Craven Antao of pushing a “one sided narrative.”
“To Savannah, I sincerely apologize, but cannot sit around and allow you to continue pushing this one sided narrative. I understand hands being put on someone is never the answer, but throwing rocks and hiding hands is worse,” she wrote, insisting that the full truth would emerge once the entire footage was released.
Rivers has also started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her legal defence, which has so far collected over $8,600.
