- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
'Freedom Convoy' raises funds on Christian site after GoFundMe cutoff
The organizers of a trucker-led protest in Canada against Covid mandates have turned to a Christian fundraising site after being cut off by the popular GoFundMe platform.
Several Republican officials in the United States called meanwhile for investigations into GoFundMe after the fundraising site stopped taking donations for the "Freedom Convoy" protest in Ottawa.
The protesters have parked their big rigs on streets in the Canadian capital and put up tents and temporary shacks -- paralyzing the city to the consternation of officials and the mounting frustration of many residents.
The demonstrations began as protests by truckers angry with vaccine requirements when crossing the US-Canadian border, but have morphed into broader protests against Covid-19 health restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson announced a state of emergency Sunday, saying the ongoing protests pose a "serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents."
GoFundMe removed the donation page for the "Freedom Convoy" on Friday, claiming it violated the crowdsourced fundraising site's terms of service that "prohibit user content that reflects or promotes behaviour in support of violence."
It announced the next day that it would refund all of the donations made so far. More than $8 million had been raised at the time.
After the GoFundMe cutoff, organizers launched a donation drive on GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the "leader in Christian fundraising."
More than $4.7 million has been raised on GiveSendGo as of Monday.
Former US president Donald Trump was among the prominent Republican leaders in the United States speaking out in support of the "Freedom Convoy."
"Facebook and Big Tech are seeking to destroy the Freedom Convoy of Truckers," Trump said in a statement. "The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates."
- Investigations -
Republican officials in several US states including West Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Louisiana and Florida said they would study whether GoFundMe had broken any laws.
"My office will be looking into whether or not #GoFundMe violated our state law," tweeted Louisiana's attorney general, Jeff Landry.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he had assembled a team to investigate "potential fraud & deception" by GoFundMe.
"Texas donors will get Justice!" Paxton tweeted.
Among the prominent critics of GoFundMe's move has been billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk who tweeted memes and links to articles calling them "professional thieves."
Crowdsourced fundraising sites and payments platforms have been entangled previously in political controversies.
GoFundMe last year shut down accounts seeking to raise funds for the defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, the American teen who shot dead two men during protests and riots against police brutality in Wisconsin in 2020.
GoFundMe once again allowed fundraising for Rittenhouse after he was acquitted of all charges last November.
In 2010, Bank of America, PayPal, MasterCard, Visa and Western Union cut off donations for WikiLeaks after the whistleblowing site published State Department cables and confidential US military information.
C.Cassis--PC