GoFundMe close Israel Folau’s campaign citing the promotion of discrimination
GoFundMe may have closed down his page but Israel Folau and his supporters said money was continuing to pour into his campaign against Rugby Australia.
Israel Folau has vowed to carry on his fight against Rugby Australia after GoFundMe shut down his fundraising campaign without paying him a cent of the $750,000 his supporters had pledged to him.
Folau has accused the American fundraising site of “buckling under pressure” but said other organisations were already lining up to help him raise the $3 million war chest he wants to tackle the sport that sacked him for what they say were anti-gay comments but he says were expressions of his religious faith.
“Unfortunately, GoFundMe has buckled to demands against the freedom of Australians to donate to his cause,” a spokesman for Folau said in a statement.
“There appears to be a continuing campaign of discrimination against Israel and his supporters.”
Folau, whose plea for ordinary Australians to foot the bill for his pending legal row has divided the country, also revealed he had been the victim of a cyber attack while saying his wife had been attacked 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 cyberattack 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 efforts to raise money for his ongoing legal case.”
Folau’s unrepentant stance came after GoFundMe booted his crowdfunding campaign into touch because he once again failed to abide by simple rules outlawing discrimination.
Not for the first time, Folau’s failure to read the small print has cost him a packet, just a day after his church went into hiding because of the furious public backlash following his ill-advised decision to use the same platform where struggling parents of seriously sick kids go to for help.
After reviewing its own regulations, GoFundMe said Folau won’t get a cent of the three quarters of a million dollars he had been pledged because his campaign was in breach of their rules so had been shut down with immediate effect.
“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,” GoFundMe said in a statement.
“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.”
GoFundMe introduced strict rules four years ago banning people from raising funds for legal disputes after the owners of a bakery in the U.S. state of Oregon launched a campaign appealing for help after being fined for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
The bakers were allowed to keep the money that had been raised but under the new rules, Folau won’t get anything because GoFundMe will refund all the money to the nearly 10,000 donors who transferred money to Folau’s campaign.
The 30-year-old Folau said he has already spent more than $100,000 in legal fees but wants an eye watering $3 million to fight his case, where he is seeking around $10 million, including compensation.
His critics say he should pay his own legal costs because he’s a multi millionaire and he brought all the trouble on himself.
One of the highest paid players in Australia, Folau and his investment company owns six homes and three blocks of land worth an estimated $7 million.
He purchased a Lamborghini for $500,000 in 2017, which he sold last year, and rejected a settlement offer of close to $2 million - saying the money was not important because he was standing up for religious freedom.
The saga has divided Australia but GoFundMe said there had been one unexpected benefit.
“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,” the website’s Australian regional manager Nicola Britton said.
“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.”
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