GoFundMe is a for-profit crowdfunding platform that provides the service of allowing people to raise money for events, celebrations, and also for dire circumstances like illnesses and accidents.
Recently, the funding platform has removed the truckers convoy from their platform and is withholding around 9 million dollars of donations. The move from the funding company has drawn a lot of eyes towards it and in this article, we will take a look at the incident and the controversy.
It is a fraud for @gofundme to commandeer $9M in donations sent to support truckers and give it to causes of their own choosing.
I will work with @AGAshleyMoody to investigate these deceptive practices — these donors should be given a refund.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 5, 2022
Why Was The Fund Removed?
The online funding platform GoFundMe has re-emerged in the public eye due to their action of withholding 9 to 10 million dollars donated to the trucker convoy protest. The funding campaign has been removed from the platform due to the violation of their ‘terms of service’.
According to GlobalNews, GoFundMe released the following statement when the campaign was paused, “This fundraiser is currently paused and under review to ensure it complies with our terms of service and applicable laws and regulations”.
As per BBC, in a statement released on Friday, GoFundMe claimed that the demonstrations were peaceful when the campaign first started but since then had started to violate the ‘terms of service’ by promoting violence and harassment. GoFundMe also said, “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 Response
After GoFundMe backed out, another fund raising platform- GiveSendGo has started to accept the donations for the truckers convoy. After the objections raised from the residents of Ottawa, the organizers of the protest have promised to protest peacefully and to respect the law but also to “stay (in protest) as long as it takes.”
One of the organizers of the protest in Ottawa said that the demonstrators are there “for the love of our families, our communities and our nation”. On the other hand, there are Canadians who don’t support the protests and are worried about the lack of safety it imposes on them. According to BBC, an Indian-Canadian lawyer reported the following:-
“There were men walking in groups in front of our house with ‘Make Canada Great Again’ hats. I just started to feel like I don’t want to go and put myself out there. There’s a feeling of unease.”
Another chef at a downtown restaurant had the following to say:-
“I have no doubt that the vast majority are peaceful. But, as was seen last year with protests in the US, a small minority of people with bad intentions can very easily and quickly escalate the situation.”
For more updates, stay with us on Stanford Arts Review.
