GoFundMe is facing criticism online after a group with violent practices was found fundraising on the platform.
GoFundMe has a history of decrying fundraisers allegedly tied to violence. The fundraising platform previously banned fundraising for Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense fund because the crimes he was accused of were violent in nature.
“Once charges for a violent crime were brought against Kyle Rittenhouse in 2020, GoFundMe removed fundraisers that were started for the defendant’s legal defense,” the platform said after Rittenhouse was acquitted. “If someone is acquitted of those charges, as Rittenhouse was today, a fundraiser started subsequently for their legal defense and other expenses would not violate this policy.”
Provocateur and journalist Andy Ngo discovered CrimethInc’s fundraiser on the platform Friday. The organization is asking for $50,000 to help rebuild after a fire destroyed an uninsured building.
The organization describes itself as a “decentralized anarchist collective comprised of many cells that act independently in pursuit of a freer world.”
“.@crimethinc, a violent extremist far-left group that calls for arson attacks & political violence, is running a campaign on @gofundme after its mail-order space where extremist texts are printed was destroyed in a fire,” Ngo tweeted. “The group is so extreme that Facebook banned it last year.”
Some books from the group include “why we break windows” and “a new world from the ashes of the old.”
As of Saturday morning, the fundraising page is still listed on GoFundMe’s platform.