GoFundMe has announced that it is seizing the $10 million Canadian dollars of funds raised on its website for the Canadian Freedom Convoy protest against vaccine mandates and Government overreach and will distribute it to “credible and established charities” reportedly chosen by the convoy organisers and approved by GoFundMe. Tesla CEO Elon Musk accused GoFundMe of hypocrisy as it actively supported a campaign for the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest in Seattle – among numerous other violent woke causes – implying that what makes the difference is not the nature of the protest but whether the company agrees with the cause or comes under political pressure. The Daily Mail the story.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk accused GoFundMe of hypocrisy after the company cancelled the Freedom Convoy fundraiser on Friday after it actively supported a campaign for the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest in Seattle.
The crowdfunding platform claimed the convoy fundraiser – which raised $10million Canadian dollars ($8 million USD) in support of truckers protesting against COVID-19 vaccine mandates – violated its terms of service “which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment”.
GoFundMe plans to distribute the remaining $9 million [the reason for the discrepancy in amounts is unclear] of donated funds to “credible and established charities” that were reportedly chosen by the convoy organisers and have been verified by the platform.
“Double-standard?” Musk questioned on Twitter Friday night, sharing a screenshot of a tweet the crowdfunding platform published in 2020, amid active riots in Seattle.
The Seattle protesters declared an autonomous zone in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The zone, spanning six city blocks and displaying Black Lives Matter imagery, was established by George Floyd protesters in June 2020 after a tension-filled interactions between demonstrators and police.
GoFundMe also allowed numerous BLM-related fundraisers, some of which still remain active, that strived to raise funds for protective gear and medical supplies for protesters in the Pacific Northwest.
The crowdfunding platform, released a statement Friday evening saying: “GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created.”
“We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.”
The decision to remove the fundraise comes one day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a military response to the protests that have shut down the nation’s capital was “not in the cards right now” and the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee called on GoFundMe to detail how it would ensure donations weren’t being used to promote extremism and hate.
It remains unclear if Trudeau or his Government lobbied the crowdsourcing company, which did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
In the wake of GoFundMe’s decision, Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich announced Friday night that they have teamed up with GiveSendGo, another online platform, to continue raising funds for the truckers.
“GiveSendGo is going to to enable us to get donations into the hands of truckers much, much quicker,” she said in a video published by Rumble.
“If you can donate and help us keep these truckers going – we plan to be here for the long haul, as long as it takes to ensure that your rights and freedoms are restored.”
GoFundMe suspended the Freedom Convoy fundraiser for internal review on Wednesday after it had accrued more than $10million in donations.
The company had previously released $1 million to organisers after they “provided a clear distribution plan… and confirmed funds would be used only for participants who traveled to Ottawa to participate in a peaceful protest.”
The organisers claimed the funds would be used for expenses such as fuel, food and lodging, with any leftover donations being gifted to a “credible Veterans organisation which will be chosen by the donors.”
GoFundMe announced Friday they will no longer be releasing funds to the organizers because of “how this situation has evolved”.
“No further funds will be directly distributed to the Freedom Convoy organizers,” the company statement read. “We will work with organizers to send all remaining funds to credible and established charities chosen by the Freedom Convoy 2022 organisers and verified by GoFundMe.”
The company said donors have until February 19th to request a refund.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Following the outcry, GoFundMe has said it will automatically refund all the money to donors without the need to submit a request. Nevertheless, it’s probably worth avoiding GoFundMe from now on if your politics are to the Right of BLM.
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