Savannah Craven Antao: Anti-abortion influencer case dropped after woman allegedly punched her mid-interview

An anti-abortion activist who was allegedly punched mid-interview by a pro-choice woman has had her case dropped.

Savannah Craven Antao was conducting filmed street interviews in New York City for Live Action, an organisation which seeks to “end abortion and build a culture of life”.

In April, Ms Antao interviewed Brianna Rivers, 30, and began by asking her what she knows about Planned Parenthood, an American provider of sex education, as well as sexual and reproductive health care.

Planned Parenthood is made up of several non-profit organisations, and is known for providing information and direction about abortion access.

Ms Rivers explained the different services Planned Parenthood provides, including abortions, birth control and counselling.

She went on to explain situations in which people may need to access abortion care and said she is “pro-choice”.

In response to Ms Antao’s argument that Planned Parenthood’s services are going downhill at the taxpayer’s expense, Ms Rivers said women are afraid to access this type of healthcare.

The eight-minute-long discussion continues and the women continue to disagree about abortion access.

“I think your point of view is very obstructed and I think that you just don’t understand the magnitude of having a child,” Ms Rivers said.

“I’m not the one who admitted they would be okay with killing babies in foster care and killing children that have been abused,” Ms Antao said

Though the video captions added by Live Action say Ms Rivers responded with “that is the point”, the audio captures her saying “that is not the point”.

Immediately after this, video footage shows Ms Rivers allegedly punching Ms Antao in the face with her right hand, before hitting her with her left hand.

The camera operator, believed to be Ms Antao’s husband, followed Ms Rivers as she walked away before returning to Ms Antao, who had blood on her face.

Ms Antao told concerned passers by that everything had been “fine” during the interview before she was “punched in the face”.

Following the alleged attack, Ms Rivers was charged with second-degree assault, but her case was dismissed after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office missed a key filing deadline, Fox News reported.

Ms Antao’s lawyers, from the Thomas More Society, said they plan to file a civil claim against Ms Rivers.

They say Ms Antao was taken to the hospital for stitches, accruing more than $6000 in medical bills.

Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel at the non-profit firm, said the district attorney’s actions have caused detriment to the public perception of the legal system.

“District Attorney Bragg’s shocking refusal to uphold justice only works to undermine confidence in the system, especially when our political climate has become as fraught as it is now,” he said.

“Failing to prosecute these clear-cut charges sets a dangerous standard for how our society responds to violence against those engaging in democratic dialogue.”

The error was acknowledged by a spokesperson from the Manhattan office.

“Every victim deserves their day in court, and our office has reached out to apologise to Ms Craven Antao for the unacceptable error of missing the discovery deadline,” the spokesperson said.

“We are taking immediate internal steps in light of this case.”