A Catholic pro-life activist was violently struck in the face on Thursday while conducting a video interview in New York City.
Savannah Craven Antao was interviewing a “pro-abortion individual” who “became enraged” during the conversation and attacked Antao, punching her in the face, according to the pro-life group Live Action.
Antao was working with Live Action as a pro-life reporter when the attack happened. Live Action shared footage of the assault, and Live Action President Lila Rose shared a picture of Antao with blood streaming down her face after the attack.
Antao said in a post to X on Thursday evening that she was recovering in the hospital after getting stitches.
A New York City Police Department (NYPD) spokesperson confirmed to Breitbart News on Friday that an assault was reported on Thursday at around 6:05 p.m. near W 126 Street and Lenox Avenue where “an unknown individual did strike the 23-year-old female victim with a closed fist causing a laceration.”
“There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing,” the spokesperson said.
Breitbart News reached out to Antao but did not receive a reply by time of publication. However, Antao told Catholic News Agency (CNA) that she has worked for years as a pro-life advocate and regularly does street interviews for her YouTube channel and various organizations.
She said the woman who assaulted her was “very passionate” about her pro-abortion position.
“She knew about Planned Parenthood. She totally agreed with me that abortion kills a baby. She knew how the procedure worked,” she said.
According to Live Action, The unidentified woman allegedly at one point during the interview stated: “You don’t understand the magnitude of having a child.”
Craven Antao replied: “I’m not the one who admitted they would be okay with killing babies in foster care and killing children that had been abused.”
Antao told CNA she “had absolutely no time to see that it was coming.”
Antao’s husband Henry allegedly protected her from further attacks and the woman walked away, according to the report. The pair called the police, although the alleged assailant could not be located. Antao went to the hospital where she received two stitches. She said she is raising money for a security fund through her YouTube channel.
Henry Antao said in a statement:
I Henry Antao and my wife, Savannah Craven Antao, were out on the street in Harlem doing some street interviews. My wife Savannah Craven Antao was assaulted by a pro-abortion woman we were interviewing on the street. The woman became aggressive and violent upon learning Savannah’s pro-life stance.
“I intervened to protect my wife, and we immediately called 911. The police arrived, and we provided them with the assailant’s photo and description,” he continued. “We hope justice will be served soon. 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.”
Savannah Antao expressed sympathy for the woman who struck her, saying “I know that that woman was hurting inside…”
“And that’s why I still want to pray for her, and that she finds peace with herself,” she said, replying “absolutely not” when asked if the attack will deter her from future pro-life work.
Lila Rose said Live Action is “deeply grateful” for Antao’s work to “protect preborn children and help end abortion in our nation.”
“Her bravery in the face of violence is heroic,” Rose said. “We are grateful she is safe and receiving support. No one should ever face physical assault for expressing their views in public.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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