2022-02-05
"GoFundMe says it won’t be giving the C$10 million ($8 million USD) raised to support the truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates to the organizers anymore, saying it will instead work with the organizers to send the funds to 'established charities verified by GoFundMe.' "
"this fundraiser is now in violation of our Terms of Service (Term 8, which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment) and has been removed from the platform"
The Epoch Times has the story.
The Daily Sceptic concurs quoting the Daily Mail.
For me, GoFundMe is guilty of first degree cant.
They know that this decision will likely cause great hardship to a great many independent citizens going about their lawful business of peaceful demonstrating (even if it may be true that there have been isolated incidents of violence).
It might be reasonable to say that they won't accept further donations, and might hold the funds for a limited time pending independent investigation (by a grand jury?), but no more.
This is not a trivial matter. It forcefully illustrates the corporate arrogance that would control our lives.
And then, there are charities and charities - those who donated their cash to the truckers may not approve of GoFundMe's choice of charity. Charities these days are controversial, especially the big ones that one might suspect GopFundMe of supporting. Would it really be appropriate to give this cash to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for example? Or to the Rockefeller Foundation? Or to Black Lives Matter? Or to the International Red Cross?
The whole point of GoFundMe is to allow citizens to support their specific chosen projects, not the major charities which they can support directly if they so choose.
If they can't give the money to the intended recipients they should return it to the original donors - but It would certainly be in GoFundMe's interests to make a single donation to a large organisation rather than return multiple small payments.
Even Elon Musk can see the problem.
I sense a court case in the offing ... and donors should demand an immediate refund prior to 19th February. If nothing else it might prevent their funds being used for purposes of which they do not approve.
Meanwhile residents in these places might like to know that GoFundMe have offices in Sydney Australia, Dublin in Eire, and Detroit, San Diego and Los Angeles in the USA.
9:00:01 PM
Update from Epoch Times:
GoFundMe Says All Donations to Trucker Convoy Will Be Automatically Refunded; Florida to Investigate
Didn't take long ...
