‘Fascist’ Firing Fiasco: From Viral Gasoline Dump to Fundraiser Payday

LOS ANGELES — Connor Estelle, 28, is many things: a self-proclaimed fascist, a man who finds being called a nazi downright flattering, and now—thanks to the internet’s outrage economy—a $34,000 crowdfunder success story.

His moment in the spotlight began July 20, 2025, when Jubilee dropped Surrounded: 1 Progressive vs. 20 Far-Right Conservatives. Left‑wing journalist Mehdi Hasan asked Estelle point‑blank if he was a fascist. Estelle grinned, leaned into the mic, and said, “Yeah, I am,” drawing cheers from fellow far‑right panelists. He praised autocracy, rejected democracy, quoted nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt as “awesome,” and shrugged that the Holocaust was “a little bit of persecution.”

The clip detonated online: four million views and counting. TikTok, X, YouTube—a full‑blown outrage feedback loop. Hasan later tweeted he hadn’t realized he’d be debating “actual outright open fascists.”

One day later, Estelle’s social media claimed his world collapsed. “Canceled,” he told a sympathetic RiftTV host, fired for expressing “heterosexual, Christian, moral beliefs”—pparently confusing fascism with Christianity the way a toddler confuses a screwdriver with a crayon. He launched a crowd fundraiser, which will not be named, claiming he was fired for promoting an autocratic system of government, asking for $15,000. By July 23, donations had doubled that target, many accompanied by $88 neo‑nazi code gifts and comments like, “We need a white nation!”

There’s just one small problem: he wasn’t actually fired for the debate.

Back on January 22, 2025—six months before Jubilee filmed or aired the episode—Estelle had already tweeted: “If you all could pray for me I would greatly appreciate it. I got laid off from my job.” His brief gig? Subcontractor cloud engineer at VeUP from November 2024 to January 2025. VeUP confirmed he was cut by an upstream contractor for reasons unrelated to politics, speeches, or the internet.

There’s no evidence he held any job in July to lose in the first place. Which means the “fired for my beliefs” narrative collapses like a dollar‑store pop‑up tent in a hurricane.

That didn’t stop major outlets from swallowing the bait. Daily Beast: “Self‑Described Fascist Begs for Donations After Getting Fired Following Surrounded Debate.” Times of India: “Man loses job after ‘I’m a fascist’ remark.” NBC: “Participant openly identifies as fascist… subsequently fired.” None mention the January layoff.

Critics argue Jubilee is essentially a conveyor belt for rage bait. Hasan himself put it bluntly: “Free speech doesn’t mean you have to give credibility to people who don’t agree in human equality.” Austrian legal scholar Artus Farfalla was harsher: “In Austria, glorifying fascism can get you fired and convicted. In America, apparently it can get you on YouTube.”

What does this all mean?

• Employment & Social Media: Yes, people lose jobs over posts. This wasn’t one of those times.
• Grift Economics: Manufactured martyrdom converts outrage into hard cash.
• Hypocrisy Factor: Fascists love authority until authority turns on them.

In the end, Estelle didn’t just not get fired — he got paid. His fans got their martyr. Jubilee got the clicks. And the truth? That stayed buried under a six‑month‑old tweet.

At Alpine 6 Action News, we’ll say it plainly: fascists are feeling safe enough to operate in the open. And once they’ve stepped into the light, they don’t get to slink back to their Facebook echo chambers when the blowback hits.

In a world where viral lies fly first class, truth is still stuck on the tarmac. Bring a fact‑checker to your next fundraiser.