The New York woman who punched a pro-life activist in the face during a street interview raised over $8,000 on GoFundMe to pay for legal fees before the crowdfunding platform took her campaign down for violating its terms of service.
A GoFundMe spokesperson told The Christian Post that a fundraiser for Brianna J. Rivers was removed for violating its terms of service, and the platform has refunded everyone who gave money to the campaign.
Police arrested the 30-year-old Rivers on Thursday after a video of her striking pro-life activist Savannah Craven Antao went viral. On April 3, Craven Antao asked Rivers questions about abortion and Planned Parenthood while filming “man-on-the-street” style interviews in Harlem for the pro-life activist organization Live Action.
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Rivers is facing one count of second-degree assault, sources from the New York Police Department told The New York Post last week. Rivers started a GoFundMe to pay for legal expenses, which reportedly raised around $8,695.
At the time of reporting, the link directing potential donors to Rivers’ fundraising page no longer works.
According to the rules outlined on GoFundMe’s terms page, an individual cannot use the platform to raise money for “the legal defense of financial and violent crimes, including those related to money laundering, murder, robbery, assault, battery, sex crimes or crimes against minors.”
Rivers posted her reaction to the fundraiser’s removal in a Friday Facebook post, accusing Craven Antao of inciting her “Klan” to report her GoFundMe page. She also revealed that she lost her job and claimed that Craven Antao’s “trolls have taken this too far.”
“This matter is suppose to be dealt with in court but this woman has been stalking my social media platforms to continue antagonizing and harassing me,” Rivers wrote. “It’s one thing to be upset about what was done but cyber bullying , stalking, doxxing, are all very uncalled for.”
In an April 5 Facebook post, Rivers addressed the incident with Craven Antao, stating that she wanted to “sincerely apologize.” She also claimed that the pro-life advocate is only telling one side of the story.
“I understand hands being put on someone is never the answer, but throwing rocks and hiding hands is worse,” Rivers wrote. “She knows the truth and she needs to release the footage in its entirety. Savannah is a professional antagonist not a ‘reporter’ and the truth will be told.”
Rivers did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.
On April 6, Live Action posted the uncut version of the interview on its YouTube page. The video footage shows that the conversation between Rivers and Craven Antao began on a friendly note, with the former even complimenting the latter.
The interaction grew heated as Craven Antao asked questions about Planned Parenthood receiving taxpayer funding, with the advocate citing data that shows the health services the corporation provides have decreased over the years while abortions have increased.
On the topic of abortion, Rivers claimed that she supports “safe” abortions, and Craven Antao asked how abortion can be safe if a baby dies as a result. Rivers argued that it’s only an embryo that doesn’t have limbs or the ability to feel pain, to which the pro-life advocate noted that some people are born paralyzed or without limbs.
Several times throughout the interview, Rivers brought up the possibility of a child in the foster care system suffering from abuse as a reason for abortion. At one point, Craven Antao asked if children in foster care should be killed, and Rivers replied, “Why not?”
“I need to know the percentage of people who take children from foster care and abuse them and molest them, who make them like personal slaves,” the New York woman argued. “I need statistics before you come to me talking about pro-life.”
Near the end of the interview, Rivers accused the pro-life activist of not understanding the “magnitude of having a child.”
“I’m not the one who admitted they would be OK with killing babies in foster care and killing children that had been abused,” Craven Antao replied.
As the pro-life advocate started to say something else, Rivers punched the 23-year-old in the face. A photo shared on Craven Antao’s Instagram page after the assault shows blood streaming down the advocate’s face. The pro-life activist stated in the post that she went to the hospital after the attack.
In a statement to Live Action News following the assault, the advocate’s husband, Henry Antao, said that Rivers “became aggressive and violent upon learning Savannah’s pro-life stance.” Henry Antao stated that he intervened to defend his wife from further harm and that the pair immediately called the police to report the assault.
“We are pro-life activists because ending abortion and protecting babies from the violence that Planned Parenthood commits is the most important issue of our lifetime,” Henry Antao stated.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
