DontFundMe
In a move they may yet come to regret, GoFundMe has decided that the $10 million raised via its platform to support the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa will not be transferred to its designated recipients.
Relying on an opaque statement by Ottawa’s Police Chief, Peter Sloly, the online platform announced that, “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 … Given how this situation has evolved, no further funds will be directly distributed to the Freedom Convoy organizers.”
What Sloly actually said was that protesters were “highly organized, well-funded, [and] extremely committed to resisting all attempts to end the demonstration safely,” but GoFundMe didn’t wait to hear that from the authorities; they admitted to having held “multiple discussions with local law enforcement and city officials” prior to reaching their decision, which was that the truckers plus supporters were “in violation of our terms of service.”
GoFundMe referred both to “police reports of violence” and to “the promotion of violence and harassment” in justifying their decision. Given that Ottawa police have set about a virtual witch-hunt in search of any evidence of wrongdoing, one would expect to find some evidence of all the “violence” and “harassment” that’s going on – things that the police on their Twitter account have called “unlawful acts including harassment, mischief, hate crimes, and noise violations.” Not only that, but they are using “national, provincial, and local intelligence agencies” to “identify and target protesters who are funding /supporting /enabling unlawful and harmful activity … collecting … evidence that will be used in criminal prosecutions.”
Sounds scary.
But where are the criminal prosecutions?
So far, there’s just one hint of trouble in the making, with a class-action lawsuit filed against Freedom Convoy organizers. They’re being sued for… making noise, with the plaintiff asking for almost $10 million in compensation and damages.
Said plaintiff (to be potentially joined by many others) wants $4.8 million for “private nuisance” and $5 million for “punitive damages.” The main complaint described so poetically by attorney Paul Champ is regarding the “torment” caused by honking up to 16 hours per day which is causing “significant mental distress, suffering and torment to the plaintiff and the proposed class members.”
Allegedly, the honking exceeds permitted noise levels and reaches between 100 and 150 decibels.
Furthermore, the lead plaintiff alleges that whenever she leaves her home, located near Parliament Hill, she is “almost immediately subjected to heckling by members of the Freedom Convoy, yelling at her to remove the mask she wears to protect herself and others from contracting COVID-19.”
Attorney Keith Wilson, who is representing the three organizers named in the suit, has responded that only one of them actually owns a truck whose horn, the owner says, has never been sounded during the protest. Furthermore, Wilson said that the truckers have an agreement not to sound their horns between eight o’clock in the evening and eight the next morning.
The case has been adjourned until Monday.
Other than that, signs of violence have been few and far between. The much-criticized Nazi symbols turned out to be a lone swastika on a placard along with a nasty epithet directed at Trudeau, who remains nowhere to be found. Toronto police have apparently arrested a young man for allegedly igniting a smoke bomb. And a Manitoba man is in custody after driving his vehicle into a group of “peaceful protesters.”
GoFundMe’s initial defiant announcement that donations would be confiscated and sent to charities of their own liking (unless the donors demanded their money back) was met with absolute fury, and the platform quickly backed down, informing all and sundry that the monies raised would be returned within 10 days, no questions asked.
Ottawa mayor Jim Watson wasn’t happy; he could see where all this was headed. “I am imploring similar crowdfunding platforms to take the same position and not enable the group in its fundraising efforts,” he begged.
To no avail. Donors are already turning their attention en masse to an alternative site, GiveSendGo, and as of this writing, close to $1 million has already been raised, with a goal of $16 million.
