Who is Connor Estelle? Man loses job after 'I'm a fascist' remark; raises $20K in donations
A man who openly described himself as a 'fascist' during a political debate is now claiming he was fired from his job for expressing his views — and is asking for donations online to support himself.
Connor Estelle, appeared on an episode of Surrounded, a debate series by Jubilee. He was one of 20 conservatives debating progressive host Mehdi Hasan. The episode, which has now crossed nearly 4 million views, featured Estelle defending autocracy and expressing no concern about being called a Nazi.
He has now launched a fundraiser on the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, claiming he lost his job due to 'traditional right-wing views' and is a victim of cancel culture. He hasn't revealed where he worked or what role he held.
— TurnTNBlue (@TurnTNBlue)
Who is Connor Estelle?
Estelle goes by the name Pinesap in his fundraising appeal.
In Jubilee's Surrounded debate show, Estelle openly supported autocracy and responded with 'Yeah, I am,' when asked if he would describe himself as a fascist. His laughter and ease while making the admission drew sharp reactions online.
When asked about Nazi persecution, Estelle dismissed concerns by saying he 'frankly doesn't care' about being called a Nazi, and that the Nazis 'persecuted the church a little bit.' When pressed about the Holocaust and Jewish persecution, he admitted it was 'bad' but quickly moved on.
On GiveSendGo, Estelle says he's raising money because 'voicing legal traditional right-wing views' cost him his job. The fundraiser has already crossed $20,000. Some donors used white supremacist codes, including '88', which stands for 'Heil Hitler.'
Estelle spoke about losing his job on the Rift Report podcast, again without naming his former employer. He blamed 'secularism' and 'relativism' for the backlash, claiming such beliefs are no longer accepted in public discourse.
Estelle identifies as a Catholic .
GiveSendGo has previously been criticised for hosting campaigns linked to extremist causes, including those by January 6 rioters.
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