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GoFundMe buckles, promises to REFUND $8M collected for 'Freedom Convoy' truckers

The crowdfunding site had initially said that the donated money would go to 'credible and established charities' but not the 'Freedom Convoy' truckers

In a shocking turn of events, GoFundMe has now decided to return the raised amount of $10 million Canadian dollars ($8 million USD) to the 'Freedom Convoy' truckers protesting against Covid mandates. Earlier, the crowdfunding site had canceled the fundraiser while accusing it of breaching its terms of service “which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment.” It had also said that the money collected by the fundraiser would be given to “credible and established charities.”

“No further funds will be directly distributed to the Freedom Convoy organizers. We will work with organizers to send all remaining funds to credible and established charities chosen by the Freedom Convoy 2022 organizers and verified by GoFundMe,” it had added.

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But the platform has now reversed its decision and tweeted, “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.”

In another tweet, it added: “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 and automatically refunding donations.”

This comes after Elon Musk slammed GoFundMe, calling the platform's adminstrators “Professional Thieves”. He also tweeted “Double-standard?”, sharing images of the site allowing a fundraiser to support a campaign for the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest in Seattle in 2020.

The recent development has attracted a lot of attention with Cinematographer Errol Webber tweeting, “Hope you learned your lesson. And I'm glad you showed yourselves for the raging commies that you are. Allowing Antifa groups to fundraise on your platform, funding the CHAZ/CHOP occupiers, but suddenly, people rallying for their freedoms is too much for your twisted virtues.” A user said, “Your company should not get involved with political issues. These truckers are Canadians just like rest of us, we are the one that support them for their cause, and their cause was legit, peaceful and respectful. I thought that we live in democratic society not under dictatorship.” "Makes you wonder how many other campaigns Go Fund me has stolen from.." another tweet read.

A person wrote, “THANK YOU, This is the right thing to do and I'm glad you're doing it. I'm sorry you'll be harassed and abused. I'm sorry you're in the middle of this. Thank you for making the right decision.” Another one said, “May want to reconsider the slogan for your company, people donating money to a group that is using their right to peacefully assemble and protest is something to cherish no Mather the political affiliations or whatever. Your management needs to grow a backbone.” “Thank you for doing the right thing, by returning the money. But I am afraid to tell you, that you are the reason why these mandates are going on. When you know something is wrong with what the government is doing, and bow down to them. Wow, thank you for showing us who you are,” the third one added.