A Game of Thrones-themed campaign lobbying governments to accept more refugees from the Middle East raised $0 in the past week.
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The publicity push, called Rescue Has No Boundaries, saw big names from the HBO series throw their weight behind the International Rescue Committee — but has stalled, failing to raise any cash for seven days.
Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolai Coster-Waldau and Sophie Turner all appeared in pleading, monochrome social media videos, which were roundly rejected by viewers.
The organization is using the funds to lobby the US and European governments to accept in excess of half a million migrants – despite huge opposition in those countries.
It has called on the US alone to take in 100,000 people – ten times its current commitment.
And fans have been voting with their wallets, even as the Game of Thrones hype machine launches into overdrive.
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The campaign aimed to raise $1,000,000 ahead of the launch of the hit show’s sixth season — but ground to a halt at just over a quarter of its hoped-for funds.
Almost all of the cash was given while the show was offering tickets to the season premiere’s after-show party in LA as a reward for donating.
Heat Street has been keeping a close eye on the campaign’s funding page since the show launched. And for the past week – from April 27 to May 4 – the counter has been stuck resolutely at $264,497.
The exercise is partly the work of IRC chief executive David Miliband, a former British Foreign Secretary who is reportedly gunning for a job in the White House if Hillary Clinton becomes the next President.
He sewed up the deal months ago over lunch with HBO boss Richard Plepler.
Actors from Game of Thrones soon signed up, but were hit with scathing responses.
Many told the cast to “keep the real-world politics out” of the fantasy series.
Some from European countries – where public services and social cohesion are under strain from the migrant influx – challenged the actors to take refugees into their own communities.
On YouTube, the videos got more than three down-votes for every up-vote. IRC staff disabled the comments thread after the overwhelming majority of responses were critical.
The campaign has another eight weeks to run.