
For days on end, the Israel Folau saga has been the biggest story in Australia.
Last week, the former rugby union star created a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for his legal fees to challenge Rugby Australia’s decision to sack him for his controversial social media posts.
As petitions were launched and outrage was expressed on all corners of the internet, hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised in just days. That GoFundMe page has since been deleted by the fundraising platform as it breached its terms and conditions – but another, hosted by the Australian Christian Lobby, has popped up in its place.
It was no surprise, then, that Folau was also the biggest topic on Monday night’s news and current affairs television.
Change.org executive director Sally Rugg on Israel Folau. Post continues below video.
GoFundMe’s decision to cancel his campaign is just the latest in a debate that has been ongoing after the 30-year-old shared a meme to social media in April that declared “hell awaits” those who “are living in sin”; among those damned souls (according to the meme, that is) are gay people, those who drink alcohol, lie and ‘fornicate’.