Who is Tommy Marcus? Meme artist raises $6M in 2 days to rescue Afghans on Taliban 'kill list'
A meme artist has raised over $6 million in just a couple of days of launching a GoFundMe page to help rescue Afghans being targeted by the Taliban after they took over the troubled country.
In just the first 38 minutes of launching his 'Flyaway: Emergency Afghan Rescue Mission' GoFundMe page, Tommy Marcus managed to raise $550,000, which was the original goal amount. As a result, the Instagrammer promptly boosted his goal amount to $1.1 million. However, in the last 15 hours or so, Marcus has had to raise the goal several more times in order to to keep up with the overwhelming number of donations. At the time of writing this article, the goal was set at $6,050,000, which has presently been surpassed.
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Who is Tommy Marcus?
Tommy Marcus, also known as @Quentin.Quarantino, posts anti-capitalist, anti-billionaire content online. He has over 37,000 followers on Instagram on his personal page, which goes by the handle @tgmarc. His @Quentin.Quarantino page has over 776,000 followers. He has successfully organized a number of charitable campaigns in the past, including raising over $1 million for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit that provides reproductive healthcare in the US.
After receiving overwhelming support for his GoFundMe page, he thanked everyone. "'Right on: “What I can only imagine is the largest crowdfunded humanitarian rescue effort in history.' It very well could be. Honored to be a part of it with you and every single person who has contributed their time, energy and resources. Humbled by the outpouring of support from around the world," he wrote in an Instagram post.
Marcus' GoFundMe page
Marcus has thanked organizations such as The International Women’s Media Organization (IWMF), Raven Advisory, LLC and GOOD/Upworthy for collaborating on the mission to help the Afghan people. "We are coming to you in desperation to conduct an emergency flight rescue of 300+ Afghan souls. I have been working alongside humanitarian aid groups, decorated military veterans, and activists on the ground in Kabul, fighting to save people who otherwise have no chance at survival in the Taliban-occupied Kabul," the social media influencer said. "The individuals in question are high-value targets - Afghan men and women who have worked as human rights lawyers, champions of Women’s and LGBTQ rights, journalists, government liaisons, artists, and interpreters - all of whom are at imminent risk of being executed by the Taliban, along with their families. We will be taking full family units."
He added: "If these people do not get rescued as soon as possible, neither they nor their family will make it through the month. The Taliban have a KILL LIST and are going door to door, searching for these people and reportedly killing them on sight if found. Every one of these individuals on the manifest have been vetted. Due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Kabul, this rescue mission will only be possible if $550,000 is raised to fuel 2 airplanes to fly into Kabul from a foreign country. If we raise twice the amount ($1,100,000), we’ll do another run. There are enough people in need to make many round-trips with our two airplanes. We will continue multiplying as goals are met. With help from people on the ground in Kabul, and the newfound security of the airport due to increased US presence — we have arranged for a safe onboarding process. All of the people who will be boarding the planes have been extensively vetted."