Advertisement

Christian lobby raises quick $500,000 for Folau after GoFundMe ban

A fresh fundraising effort for Israel Folau has already amassed more than half a million dollars, just hours after it’s launch by the Australian Christian Lobby.

Jun 25, 2019, updated Jun 25, 2019
GoFundMe shut down Israel Folau's page saying promoting exclusion or discrimination violates its terms of service. Photo: AAP

GoFundMe shut down Israel Folau's page saying promoting exclusion or discrimination violates its terms of service. Photo: AAP

The organisation relaunched a campaign for the former Wallabies star on their website after Folau’s successful GoFundMe page was shut down on Monday.

By midday on Tuesday, more than $577,000 in donations had been raised via the link on the ACL site.

Donations rolled in at a rate of more than $1000 per minute in the hour before midday, with no signs of slowing down.

The ACL has also promised to tip in an additional $100,000 of their own money.

Folau has been trying to raise a $3 million war chest from public donations to fund his legal battle against Rugby Australia, which terminated his $4 million contract in May.

The decision by RA came after Folau posted a biblical passage on social media saying “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters” would go to hell unless they repented.

Folau said he had been discriminated against on religious grounds and set up the GoFundMe page, which raised more than $750,000 in about four days.

On Monday, GoFundMe took the page down, citing a breach of its terms of service and announcing it would issue refunds to the more than 7000 donors.

“While we welcome GoFundMe’s engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion,” GoFundMe Australia’s regional manager Nicola Britton said.

A spokesman for Folau denied his campaign was incompatible with GoFundMe’s terms of service.

“Unfortunately, GoFundMe has buckled to demands against the freedom of Australians to donate to his cause,” the spokesman said.

“There appears to be a continuing campaign of discrimination against Israel and his supporters.”

ACL confirmed on Tuesday Folau had accepted its offer to host a new online appeal for funds, which will be transferred to a trust account to pay for his legal bills.

“So, please give generously today to help Folau stand for your religious freedoms,” ACL managing director Martyn Iles wrote on the site.

Folau has launched legal proceedings with the Fair Work Commission against RA and is seeking up to $10 million in damages.

More than 95,000 people had signed an online petition calling on GoFundMe to take down Folau’s page.

-AAP

Want to comment?

Send us an email, making it clear which story you’re commenting on and including your full name (required for publication) and phone number (only for verification purposes). Please put “Reader views” in the subject.

We’ll publish the best comments in a regular “Reader Views” post. Your comments can be brief, or we can accept up to 350 words, or thereabouts.

InDaily has changed the way we receive comments. Go here for an explanation.

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.