The Freedom Convoy GoFundMe Has Been Removed & Donors Will Be Getting Their Money Back

After raising more than $10 million, the Freedom Convoy 2022 GoFundMe page has been removed and donors will be getting their money back.

GoFundMe shared a statement on February 4 about the removal and said that while the platform supports peaceful protests, it has evidence from law enforcement that the demonstration in Ottawa "has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity."

The fundraising platform noted that it works with local authorities to make sure there is a "detailed, factual understanding of events taking place on the ground."

After a review of the facts and discussions with law enforcement and Ottawa city officials, the fundraiser has been found to be in violation of GoFundMe's terms of service, specifically one that prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment.

The Freedom Convoy 2022 page has been removed from the platform.

When it comes to the money that's been raised, GoFundMe said the organizers had provided a clear distribution plan for the initial $1 million that was released earlier this week and confirmed that the funds would be used for people who travelled to Ottawa to participate.

"Given how this situation has evolved, no further funds will be directly distributed to the Freedom Convoy organizers," the fundraising platform said.

On February 5, GoFundMe revealed that it will automatically refund all contributions directly and donors won't need to submit a request to get their money back.

People who donated can expect a refund within 7 to 10 business days.

Earlier, GoFundMe had requested more information from the organizer of the Freedom Convoy fundraiser about how the funds would be used in order to figure out if it was still in compliance with its terms of service.

Since that information wasn't provided, a pause on donations was put in place on February 2.

At that time, over $10 million had been raised for the Freedom Convoy.