Samuel Case, FISM News
Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo on Friday opened a new campaign for the Canadian trucker protest in Ottawa Canada, a.k.a. the Freedom Convoy, following GoFundMe’s decision to freeze and ultimately remove the protest’s page last week.
GoFundMe paused the Freedom Convoy’s fundraiser on Wednesday, after it raised over $10 million CAD. Since launching a new campaign on GiveSendGo the protest organizers have raised over $6 million USD, with a goal of $16 Million. The page raised over $2 million on the first day alone.
On Friday, GoFundMe announced it had officially removed the Convoy’s page for violating the site’s terms of service “which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment.”
Originally, GoFundMe said it would only provide refunds to donors who specifically requested one, with the rest going to “verified charities selected by the Freedom Convoy organizers.” However, after receiving backlash for this decision GoFundMe announced on Saturday all donors will be automatically refunded.
To simplify the process for our users, we will be refunding all donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser. This refund will happen automatically—you do not need to submit a request. Donors can expect to see refunds within 7-10 business days.
— GoFundMe (@gofundme) February 5, 2022
GoFundMe has been accused of double standards for taking down the Convoy’s page, while allowing fundraisers linked to Black Lives Matter demonstrations, including a page raising funds for “Protective gear for Seattle, Portland protesters.” The page reads “The feds are now in Seattle and it’s time to gear up against Seattle Police and the feds.” A separate page raises funds to bail out rioters who were arrested during the Portland BLM / Antifa riots of 2020.
In July of 2020 GoFundMe promoted a page supporting a garden inside the Seattle CHOP (Capital Hill Occupied Protests), a protest that overtook six blocks of downtown Seattle and resulted in “four shootings – two fatal – robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes,” according to Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best.
In a community with no police, this farmer is feeding people & bringing them closer together.
Learn how you can support Marcus' mission within the CHOP: https://t.co/Ezo2kqi7ht https://t.co/cDt9oKHI5q
— GoFundMe (@gofundme) July 2, 2020
GiveSendGo previously garnered attention when it allowed donations for Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense fund, after GoFundMe banned similar fundraisers. GoFundMe lifted the ban after Rittenhouse was acquitted in November.