GiveSendGo maintains that it does not condone antisemitism, hate speech or discrimination, yet its commitment to protecting free speech has allowed fundraising campaigns that conflict with those stated principles.
An estimated $36,000 has been raised to date through two crowdfunding appeals for Austin Franco, who publicly said he has “no interest in working for a Jew” and now needs to cover living expenses and legal fees.
Austin Franco, the now-infamous Cornell University student who publicly refused an interview for an internship with New York startup VryfID because he refuses to work for Jews, is now facing financial hardship.
Rather than apologizing, Franco, 19, doubled down on his aversion to Jews when he appeared on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” calling Israel a Jewish-run “genocidal country.”
“No, I am not going to want to associate with those people,” he said.
Morgan told Franco that rejecting millions of potential employers or colleagues solely because they were Jewish was antisemitic and criticized his refusal to express remorse.
“You kind of made yourself unemployable,” Morgan said.
“I just find it incredibly depressing that a young man given the privilege you’ve had to go to a top university could be this thick, or worse, not care about what you’re saying and the consequences to a huge number of people around the world who see a young, arrogant kid who wants to brazenly espouse views in interviews like this, and shame on you,” Morgan said before kicking Franco off the air.
The funds raised by a GiveSendGo fundraiser, titled “Fund Austin Franco After Jewish Doxxing,” will be used to pay his legal costs.
According to the appeal, Franco’s “career and financial future is at stake. I ask that you help fund a good Christian man.”
A comment made by anonymous donor read: “We need to take a stand against this evil tribe who have way too much power in the West. Good luck Austin.”
As of Monday, Aug. 3, more than $26,000 has been raised through this appeal. The goal is $100,000.
After the interview on Morgan’s show, Franco announced that his parents would no longer allow him to live at home, and he launched an “emergency” fundraiser on GiveSendGo to pay for his living expenses.
“I will be kicked out of my home on August 1. Any support you can provide would be greatly appreciated, as would any advice,” Franco wrote.
“I have reiterated that my parents do not share my views, and it seems they no longer wish to provide me with a home to live in. I know the road ahead will be difficult, but this is the path I chose. I could have lived a more conventional life, as my parents did, and perhaps in a different time I would have. However, that is not the world we live in today, and because of that, I chose a different path than most.
“I do not regret anything I have done. If I were to die today, I would at least know that I did so believing in myself.”
GiveSendGo is an online Christian crowdfunding platform “sharing the hope of Jesus through crowdfunding.” It states that it does not condone antisemitism, hate speech or discrimination. However, it has faced public criticism from civil rights groups for hosting campaigns that promote antisemitism and white supremacy.
The Anti-Defamation League, for example, published a report in 2023 titled “How Bigots and Extremists Collect and Use Millions in Online Donations”
The new fundraiser, titled “Austin Franco Kicked Out of Home,” has so far raised close to $11,000. The goal is $20,000.
Write to GiveSendGo’s co-founders. Tell them that antisemitism must not be rewarded with funding!
Jacob Wells, CFO: jacob@givesendgo.com
Heather Wilson, CMO: info@givesendgo.com
Suggested text:
An estimated $36,000 has been raised to date through two crowdfunding appeals for Austin Franco, who publicly said he has “no interest in working for a Jew,” doubled down on his antisemitism on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” refused to express remorse, and now needs to cover his living expenses and legal fees after being evicted from his family home.
We understand that you respect free speech, but there must be a limit. There must be consequences for such damaging behavior and incitement against a minority group.
We demand that GiveSend Go remove Franco’s crowdsourcing appeal and not enable vicious antisemites to contribute to his funds through your platform.
Please demonstrate that Give Send Go does not reward such repulsive and hateful behavior.
Sincerely,
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