Republicans Demand GoFundMe Remove $30K Raised by Student Who Mocked Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

Apopka, FL — September 25, 2025 Republican lawmakers and conservative activists are calling on GoFundMe to remove a fundraiser that has raised over $30,000 for Devion Canty Jr., the former Texas State University student expelled after reenacting the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a campus memorial.

Canty’s GoFundMe campaign, titled “Going Back to TXST,” was launched following his withdrawal from the university amid backlash over a viral video showing him mimicking Kirk’s fatal shooting. The incident occurred during a Turning Point USA event on campus, just days after Kirk was killed in a Utah parking lot. In the video, Canty slapped his neck to simulate a gunshot wound and collapsed dramatically in front of mourners.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and university officials condemned the act, with Abbott tweeting that “mocking assassinations must have consequences.” Canty later claimed he was harassed at the event and said his actions were a mistake made “in the heat of the moment”3.

Now, Republican critics argue that GoFundMe is applying a double standard by allowing Canty’s fundraiser to remain active. They cite the platform’s past decisions to remove fundraisers for controversial figures such as Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager acquitted of homicide charges after a deadly shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin. “If GoFundMe stripped Kyle Rittenhouse’s campaign, they should do the same for someone who mocked a murder in front of grieving students,” said one GOP strategist on X (formerly Twitter).

Conservative commentators have also joined the chorus, accusing Canty of profiting from behavior they describe as “reprehensible” and “deeply offensive.” Some have called for donors to be publicly identified, while others have threatened boycotts of the crowdfunding platform.

Canty, meanwhile, maintains that the fundraiser is intended to help him continue his education, either at Texas State or elsewhere. “I still believe in my education and my future,” he wrote on the campaign page.

GoFundMe has not issued a public statement regarding the controversy. The platform’s terms of service prohibit fundraisers that promote violence or hate, but enforcement has varied in high-profile cases.

As the debate intensifies, the incident has reignited broader conversations about free speech, accountability, and the politicization of online fundraising.