GoFundMe Has Removed Israel Folau’s Fundraiser, Saying It Promotes Discrimination
Donors will be refunded in full.
Crowdfunding website GoFundMe has removed a controversial fundraising page setup by Israel Folau, saying that the campaign violates the site’s terms of service by promoting discrimination.
Folau set up the fundraising page last week, asking fans to donate three million dollars to support his legal battle against Rugby Australia. That battle, in case you’ve forgotten, is Folau desperately trying to get his job back after he was fired for making wildly homophobic remarks.
As it turns out, Folau asking for donations to help him continue making homophobic marks is also in breach of GoFundMe’s terms of service. Nicola Britton, Regional Manager at GoFundMe Australia, confirmed that GoFundMe was responsible for removing Folau’s page, and that all donors will be refunded in full.
“Today we will be closing Israel Folau’s campaign and issuing full refunds to all donors. After a routine period of evaluation, we have concluded that this campaign violates our terms of service.”
“As a company, we are absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ+ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity. While we welcome GoFundMes engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion.”
#BREAKING: Israel Folau's @gofundme page https://t.co/0qDyqSLqSD which had gone well past $700k when I glanced at it earlier this morning, is now returning "Page Not Found" https://t.co/uA7b3jssfa pic.twitter.com/jdOm41LBQj
— Dave Earley (@earleyedition) June 24, 2019
“In the days since Mr Folau’s campaign launched, more than one million dollars have been donated to hundreds of other campaigns, large and small, across Australia. Those acts of kindness are the heart of GoFundMe.”
“Our platform exists to help people help others. Australians have shown themselves to be among the most kind and generous people in the world. We look forward to helping more Australians fundraise for causes they care about in the coming months and years.”
Hopefully this teaches Israel Folau not to come for the LGBTIQ community in Pride Month. Or ever. Seriously, when will the guy learn?