Kate Hawkesby: Israel Folau preying on the vulnerable and naive with Go Fund me money grab

Israel Folau's Go Fund Me money grab to find his legal action, supported by Kiwi wife Maria, is not on. Photo / Dean Purcell

COMMENT: I'm not sure anything exemplifies more how tone deaf our society has become than Israel Folau's pitch for money - and the fact he's getting it.

His goal is to raise $3 million. By this morning he already had $740,000 in just four days of fundraising.

Am I living in a parallel universe? A millionaire makes a plea for money on a platform designed for sick children, actual dying children and people who truly are fighting for their lives - and says he needs support.

I don't know who is advising him, but everything about what he's doing, and how he's doing it, feels wrong to me.

The wording of his plea for money, the "unfairness" of him "being punished", when next to his page are the plights of those literally fighting for their lives. Like children with cancer tumours.

The fact is he is asking others to fund a legal battle he chose and is the result of his own actions.

Then there's the disclaimer at the end which states he can basically spend that money any way he wants - everything about it is sickening. What's really disturbing is how many people are donating.

He is preying on the vulnerable and the naive, under the guise of Christianity and decency.

He is asking for money from those who believe his 'fight' is about the cause. And not about a guy who might be a little out of his depth entering the domain of lawyers and big, big legal bills.

I said at the time that the only people who will win here will be the lawyers - but in fact Folau could win.

And if he does, he will win money. Will he pay back all those who donated to his 'cause' at this point?

He is not fighting for his life. Or for religious freedom. Or for freedom of speech.
He is fighting a dismissal on the basis of a breach of contract. And he is in the fight because he chose it.

The sick and dying on the Go Fund Me page didn't choose their fight. They didn't get a choice. The outcome isn't monetary for them. The outcome is literally life or death.

If the PR company hired to spin things his way in the public arena prior to the case being heard wasn't bad enough, this is next level. And I don't buy the argument that people don't have to donate if they don't want to.

Because the people he's targeting, the people who will believe in him, are those who can probably least afford it.

And those who may not have the wherewithal to work out that this is not about God and church and freedom and religion - this is about one man who breached his employment contract, lost money, and wants more money to get the money back.

The fact his money grab is on this platform is actually sick. And it makes a mockery of the people there who truly are.