GoFundMe draws criticism after withdrawing funding for protests in Ottawa | Canada

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A trucker-led protest against Canada’s vaccination mandates has raised millions from a Christian crowdfunding site after it was removed from GoFundMe, sparking debate over how online platforms moderate campaigns.

GoFundMe blocked fundraising for the ‘Freedom Convoy’ over the weekend after the mayor of Ottowa declared a state of emergency during a week-long protest led by truck drivers. truck against Covid-19 restrictions.

The protest began in response to demands that cross-border truckers between the United States and Canada must be fully vaccinated. On Saturday, Ottawa police had reported about 5,000 protesters and at least 300 counter-protesters on city streets with trucks blocking the street and firing fireworks.

In response, GoFundMe said “the previously peaceful protest has become an occupation” and revoked more than $8 million that protesting truckers had raised on the crowdfunding platform. GoFundMe said on Saturday that the group violated its terms of service and that the platform was automatically refunding those who donated to the cause.

In response, protesters moved their fundraiser to GiveSendGo, a self-proclaimed Christian crowdfunding site that has in the past held fundraisers for far-right groups, including members of the Proud Boys and participants to the Capitol riots of January 6.

GoFundMe’s decision to block fundraising for the group has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle, with some condemning tech platforms for allowing potentially fringe groups to raise funds while Republicans claim a anti-conservative bias.

Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia on Friday urged residents to report to GoFundme if they had been “victimized by a deceptive act or practice” and Donald Trump Jr. tweeted that “all GOP attorneys general” should follow suit.

Four other states over the weekend pledged to investigate GoFundMe, including Florida, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told The Washington Post that he is reviewing GoFundMe’s policies on campaign refunds and suspensions.

“What are you going to do the next time it’s not so visible and you decide to pull out of a fundraiser for your own needs?” Yost said, adding that the automatic refund “shouldn’t just be the result of public pressure, it should be the way they do business.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, also a Republican, said his office had “assembled a team to investigate” potential wrongdoing. On Twitter, he called GoFundMe a “BLM support society” that “woke up”, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement.

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