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GoFundMe bans fundraising for travel expenses used for events with a 'risk of violence'

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Posted at 12:26 PM, Jan 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-12 12:26:05-05

The fundraising site GoFundMe will not allow people to raise money for travel expenses used to attend potentially violent political events.

They will also remove fundraisers that “attempt to spread misinformation about the election, promote conspiracy theories and contribute to or participate in attacks on US democracy,” GoFundMe said in a statement to CNN.

The move comes after reports some of the pro-Trump protesters involved in last week’s violent riot at the U.S. Capitol used GoFundMe to raise cash before attending.

"Due to the violence, GoFundMe has removed numerous fundraisers intended to raise money for travel expenses," a spokesperson for the company told CNN. They went on to say they will remove fundraisers in the future for travel expenses for political events where there is a "risk of violence by the attendees."

GoFundMe is the latest company making changes to their online platform in the wake of the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol Building. Five people died because of the siege on the Capitol, and dozens were injured.

On Monday, AirBNB announced it is reviewing reservations in the Washington, D.C., area ahead of next week’s presidential inauguration and will bar any guests associated with hate groups or violent activity.

Also, Facebook announced they will begin removing content that contains the phrase “stop the steal,” a refrain said often by pro-Trump supporters who believe his false claims of widespread voter fraud in November’s presidential election. The president himself repeated the phrase during a speech to supporters moments before the crowd stormed the Capitol.