Australian Christian Lobby sets up new donation site for Israel Folau’s legal bid against Rugby Australia
Israel Folau has overtaken the GoFundMe total he raised in four days and secured over $1 million in donations in just 17 hours after the Australian Christian Lobby kicked off a new fundraising site for the former footy star.
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Israel Folau has secured over $1 million in 17 hours after the Australian Christian Lobby group set up a new donation site for the sacked rugby union player surpassing the total initially raised through GoFundMe before the fundraising platform deleted his page.
The rate at which Folau is filling his coffers is significantly faster than his first campaign which took four days to raise through GoFundMe.
Punters are pouring more than $1000 a minute into Folau’s new Australian Christian Lobby fundraising website prompting supporters to declare Australians are refusing to “bow to the gods of political correctness”.
Folau has earnt back well over than the $765,000 he lost when GoFundMe banned him from their platform.
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“The Australian Christian Lobby is thrilled to be able to help Israel Folau, who has not only lost his career, been banned for life, and been lied about, but has also had his fundraising support taken from him. Along with most Australians, we continue to stand with him,” an ACL spokeswoman told The Daily Telegraph.
“GoFundMe’s decision has increased the outpouring of support for Israel Folau, with well over half the funds raised in four days being recouped in just eight hours through the ACL website.”
“Israel’s case is our case as Australians, because it goes to the heart of what it means to live freely, without persecution, even for those who refuse to bow to the gods of political correctness.”
One of Australia’s most senior Anglican leaders says Folau’s right to express his faith is being denied, claiming the former Wallaby star’s treatment “smacks of a new and ugly Australia”.
Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies says Folau’s right to express his faith and act according to his conscience is of “fundamental importance in any democracy”.
Archbishop Davies says while there are deeply held views on both sides of the issue, “at the moment, only one side is being heard”.
“The way in which Folau’s motives have been impugned and his avenues of support have been cut off smacks of a new and ugly Australia where dissent from narrow cultural views is not tolerated,” he said.
Meanwhile, on GoFundMe, campaigns to raise funds to fight against Folau have hit a roadblock.
A campaign titled “No to Folau” launched five days ago with a goal of raising $3 million to “match” Folau’s donations.
But this morning donations were starting to stagnate with just $15,804 raised in total.
Managing director of the ACL, Martyn Iles, said they will also be donating $100,000 to “help out with Folau’s legal defence.”
It comes amid revelations that while GoFundMe has banned Folau, it has kept in place a donations page for a Canadian preacher who was arrested for making “disparaging’’ comments about the LGBTI community.
“The success of the Folau fundraiser was giving ‘quiet Australians’ a voice,” he said.
“By launching an alternative fundraising site to GoFundMe, we are ensuring that the voice of quiet Australians continues to be heard and Israel Folau continues to know that he is not alone.
“Folau’s supporters will only be emboldened in their commitment by what has happened. They were concerned about their freedoms, and GoFundMe has yet again reminded them that their concerns are real.
“Israel’s case is our case if we want to live free and embrace our beliefs without fear of being marginalised or discriminated against.”
All the funds raised through the new website will be deposited into a legal trust account “to be used exclusively for legal expenses incurred by Israel Folau”, Mr Iles said.
The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that Folau’s camp investigated taking legal action against GoFundMe on the basis of religious discrimination but has decided not to proceed “at this time”.
Folau’s fundraiser was canned after GoFundMe was engulfed by a social media backlash, including a change.org petition signed by 95,000 people who argued the footballer was “not entitled” to commit “disgraceful behaviour” and “blatant discrimination”. There were also complaints that Folau’s substantial personal wealth, including a $7 million property portfolio, meant he should not be accepting donations using a website where the parents of sick children raise funds for operations.
A GoFundMe spokeswoman said Folau’s campaign violated the website’s terms and conditions which forbid funds being raised for ‘the promotion of discrimination or exclusion”.
“Today we will be closing Israel Folau’s campaign and issuing full refunds to all donors,” she said.
“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 GoFundMe engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion.”
GoFundMe claimed Folau’s fundraiser breached their terms and conditions but the website has also accepted money to fund the legal battle of Canadian Christian preacher David Lynn who was arrested earlier this month after allegedly making “disparaging” comments to the LGBTI community in Toronto. More than $49,358 was raised to cover the preacher’s legal fees in the past two weeks and the fundraiser was still active last night.
“The execution of the arrest and statements made by the Toronto Police Department has publicly slandered Pastor David with false allegations of ‘hateful and derogatory statements being made toward LGBTQ people’,” the fundraisers wrote on the GoFundMe Page.
There was also one fundraising campaign for right-to-life abortion activists which received thousands of dollars.
A spokesman for Folau has released a statement describing the emotional toll the ordeal has had on his family.
“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.”
Folau also revealed he had been the victim of a cyber attack and claimed his wife had been targeted just for standing by him.
“Since requesting public donations to help him with his legal action against Rugby Australia, Israel and his supporters have come under intense scrutiny in the media,” the spokesman said.
“Further, Israel’s website has been the target of what we believe was a sustained cyber attack and there has been a deliberate attempt to vilify his wife Maria for supporting her husband. While Israel does not intend to respond in detail at this time regarding the accusations thrown at him or his family, he wants it known that these attacks have hardened his resolve. Thankfully, several organisations have already expressed interest in supporting Israel’s (legal case).’’
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