While a Christian alternative is advertising one such fundraising on its top page, GoFundMe, one of the most well-known crowdfunding websites on the internet, is taking down any campaigns in support of Luigi Mangione, the man who is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.
Contributors to the campaigns are getting their money back via GoFundMe. Three fundraisers that were uploaded on the platform and subsequently taken down were discovered by NBC News.
According to a message from the platform’s spokesperson, GoFundMe’s Terms of Service forbid fundraisers for the legal defense of serious offenses.
However, Mangione’s legal defense campaign has been sponsored by GiveSendGo, which was founded in 2015. It had raised more than $75,000 as of Friday morning.
Even when numerous platforms deleted the suspect’s social media accounts and attempted to control content that went beyond the rules regarding violent activities, there has been a surge of online support for him in recent days. Reddit apparently deleted posts that linked to Mangione’s manifesto and deleted his account. Mangione-related profiles were also deleted by Meta.
However, some internet platforms have either done nothing or have specifically enshrined accounts linked to Mangione. This is a trend that has become more and more prevalent in recent years, especially among digital businesses that support a more laissez-faire attitude to moderation. X restored Mangione’s account after temporarily deleting it and validated it, a process that verifies the legitimacy of an account (X implemented a modification in April that confirmed any account that gets 2,500 verified subscriber followers). Mangione’s story had not been confirmed before.
GiveSendGo is adamant about its choice to host Mangione-related content.
According to a statement from Alex Shipley, director of communications for GiveSendGo, “We believe that everyone is entitled to due process in a court of law, not in the court of public opinion.” To be clear, vigilante justice is not something we endorse or promote. However, access to a robust legal defense should not be limited to the wealthy or those who fit a specific narrative, as everyone has a constitutional right to such a defense. Since everyone should have equal access to a fair trial regardless of the outcome, it is our responsibility to provide people and their communities with the means to generate money for that defense.
GiveSendGo has established a reputation for running campaigns that other fundraising platforms won’t, and it actively promotes itself as a Christian crowdfunding platform. The platform’s sponsorship of far-right fundraising campaigns, including as those supporting the legal defense of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, the 2022 anti-vaccine Canadian truck caravan, and defendants facing charges for allegedly taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, has drawn criticism.
The Mangione fundraiser is evidence that GiveSendGo is more than its reputation, according to a post on X by the company’s CEO, Jacob Wells.
The media has painted us as far-right radicals, but what can they say now that they have approved Luigi Mangione’s legal defense fund? Wells wrote, “Definitely not a far right figure, actually just the opposite.”
Even though Mangione seems to have a more complex identity, progressive opponents of the health care system have been very supportive of her. He liked anti-woke posts, followed and shared the opinions of right-leaning authors and podcasters, and implied that low birth rates, a political gender divide, and compulsive social media use were some of the reasons why modern civilization was failing.
Thousands of anonymous contributors have contributed to the GiveSendGo campaign, which was coordinated by the December 4th Legal Committee. Many user donations were accompanied by supportive messages and personal stories, some of which referred to Mangione as a hero.
We are a group of 15 volunteers, distributed across the US, who were inspired by Luigi’s narrative and the wave of public support for his actions, Sam Beard, a spokesman for the December 4th Legal Committee, told NBC News. Some of us have firsthand experience with the cruelty and suffering of for-profit healthcare, while others have experience supporting those who are on trial.
In the event that Mangione declines to accept the money, the campaign has stated that all earnings will either be sent directly to him or utilized to support the defense of other American political prisoners.
The group claims that although it has not communicated with Mangione or his attorney, it has written to Mangione to explain the fund’s existence and to include notes of support from campaign contributors.
However, Mangione’s lawyer stated in a CNN interview on Thursday that he probably wouldn’t accept unsolicited funding offers.
However, Beard stated that the money might be helpful.
In the upcoming weeks and months, Luigi might have additional attorneys. A letter outlining the fund and sharing donor messages has been forwarded to Luigi. In an email, Beard stated, “We will wait to hear from him directly to see if he will accept them.”
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