GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created. However, as a result of multiple discussions with local law enforcement and police reports of violence and other unlawful activity, the Freedom Convoy fundraiser has been removed from the GoFundMe platform.
The update we issued earlier enabled all donors to get a refund and outlined a plan to distribute remaining funds to verified charities selected by the Freedom Convoy organizers. However, due to donor feedback, we are simplifying the process for you. We will automatically refund your contributions directly - you do not need to submit a request. You can expect to see your refund within 7 - 10 business days.
The Freedom Convoy was a good idea that got hijacked by bad people.
ReplyDeleteDespite what the press would want you to believe, it's mostly not neo-Nazis. There is a great deal of resentment against a government that is controlling the pandemic with rules that are sometimes nonsensical and usually very inconvenient and which always responds to opposition with "Well we're trying to do what's safe and right and you're clearly trying to cause harm by disagreeing with us."
Tens of thousands of people cheered the convoy on as it crossed the country. (And remember, unlike Israel there's a lot of country to cross here) GoFundMe raised $10 million dollars. That's not a few disgruntled White supremacists. That's a huge movement of people and if they're all dismissed as fascist homophobic losers that movement will just grow and become more extreme.
One can easily point out that that BLM never accounted for the tens of millions in donations it received and we all recall the violence it unleashed with the help of that money as well as the real estate its organizers quietly invested in. No one in the Freedom Convoy is doing anything similar but suddenly it's been cracked down on. Again, just creating more extremists.