Candace Owens’ GoFundMe Account Suspended Over Controversial Comments About George Floyd

GoFundMe has suspended a fundraiser that was started by conservative activist Candace Owens for a café co-owner who labeled Minneapolis police shooting victim George Floyd a “thug.” The fundraising site stated that her campaign violated its policies on “intolerance of any kind,” according to The Hill.

Owens started a GoFundMe campaign that had raised more than $200,000 for the Parkside Café located in Birmingham, Alabama. She began the fundraiser after co-owner Michael Dykes sparked a backlash by insulting Floyd and calling the people who were protesting his death “idiots” in a text message to co-owner Robert Bagwell.

Three employees who worked at Parkside Cafe quit working and people starting boycotting the cafe online after Dykes’ comments were revealed.

The controversial pundit took to Twitter over the weekend to report on the actions taken against her and the campaign she started.

“After raising $205,000 in a few hours @gofundme decided to halt my campaign for the Parkside Cafe in Alabama. At their discretion, they deemed that funds raised for a conservative business constitutes “intolerance.”

After raising $205,000 in a few hours @gofundme decided to halt my campaign for the Parkside Cafe in Alabama. At their discretion, they deemed that funds raised for a conservative business constitutes “intolerance”
They WILL however give the funds raised thus far to the cafe… pic.twitter.com/Mfw88iDKRi

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) June 7, 2020

“GoFundMe has suspended the account associated with Candace Owens and the GoFundMe campaign has been removed because of a repeated pattern of inflammatory statements that spread hate, discrimination, intolerance and falsehoods against the black community at a time of profound national crisis. These actions violate our terms of service,” a GoFundMe spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.

The company added that the cafe itself has condemned Dykes’s comments.

“GoFundMe will work with the Parkside Café’s staff to facilitate the transfer of the funds raised on their behalf. It’s important to remember that when money is raised on behalf of another individual or organization, the funds are safely held by our payment processor, and only transferred directly to the beneficiary of the campaign,” the spokesperson said. “In this case, the money is safely held and will only be released to the Parkside Cafe. If a donor would like a refund, we will immediately process that refund request.”