An online fundraiser has raised nearly $30,000 in support of a man accused of pushing an Indian man and shouting 'Go back to your country.'
Jaxton Tayte Collins, 21, is facing charges in the state of malicious intimidation or harassment and of assault following the alleged incident in August.
According to charging documents seen by The Independent Record, police were called to reports of an assault in Helena, Montana, on August 7.
The Indian man, who was wearing a head covering at the time, told officers he was walking with friends when a man told him 'to go back to his country.'
According to the man, the individual, who police later identified as Collins, also shoved him with both hands. He has pleaded not guilty.
Now, his alleged racism has prompted far-right supporters in the state to galvanize behind him to help cover his legal bills.
As of Tuesday, people had donated $28,400 with a goal set at $40,000. The fundraiser was organized by an X user named Tom Hennessey.
Collins, pictured here, is facing charges in the state of malicious intimidation or harassment and of assault following the alleged incident in August
Hennessey described himself in his X profile as being a 'demonetized White independent journalist.'
The fundraiser said: 'Jaxton Tayte Collins told an Indian to go home. Now he's facing a felony for saying it.
'These H-1B lottery winners and racial aliens are now showing up in Montana uninvited.'
White supremacist groups in the state have since donated to the cause including Big Sky Active Club.
Active clubs are a nationwide network of white supremacist crews who see themselves as fighters preparing for a war, The Anti-Defamation League said.
The group posted to their X encouraging their followers to back Collins, writing: 'Please join Big Sky Active Club in supporting this young man.
'His case is an unprecedented and egregious violation of first amendment rights and the freedom of Montanans to verbally express themselves.'
His alleged rhetoric has seen right wing supporters in the state galvanize behind him to help cover his legal bills
Collins is seen here in a 2024 arrest phot taken by Volusia County Sheriff's Office in Florida
The charging documents continued that when officers eventually arrived on the scene, they found him nearby.
The documents said that Collins then admitted to drinking at a bar and to shouting at the man after leaving but he denied shoving him.
According to the outlet, he is next to appear in court in April. If convicted, he faces up to five years behind bars and a fine of $5,000.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed the felony charges, saying in a statement: 'Everyone, regardless of their background, race, or faith, deserves to walk safely in our public spaces without facing racist harassment or targeted violence.
'We urge law enforcement and our judicial systems to treat hate-motivated offenses with the utmost seriousness they demand.'
The Daily Mail has uncovered that this is not Collins' first run in with the law, in 2024 he was facing charges of attempted burglary, resisting an officer and criminal mischief after he allegedly tried to break into a Publix supermarket in Florida.
According to charging documents, Collins damaged the door of the property and had to be tased five times by responding officers after he tried to flee.
He entered a plea of not guilty before agreeing to a pretrial intervention contract with prosecutors, he complied with all the terms and the case was thrown out, records said.
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