GoFundMe Freezes $160,000 From ‘Convoy To Canberra’ Fundraiser
People descended to the nation's capital to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
GoFundMe has taken the extraordinary step of freezing a fundraiser set up for the 'Convoy to Canberra' group.
More than $160,000 was raised by people who supported the group who convoyed to the nation's capital.
According to the ABC, the group is 'against mandatory vaccinations' and also comprises of people from the 'Sovereign Citizens movement'.
The campaign saw trucks, vans, and cars travel 'thousands of kilometres from interstate to join the rally'.
They gathered outside Parliament House yesterday (January 31) to make their voices heard and the Australian Federal Police stepped in to stop them moving any further inside.
Many people were waving flags, some that said 'Make Australia Great Again' and the crowd shouted to 'sack them all' while others cried out for 'freedom'.
They certainly were a musical bunch as The Last Post was even played, along with 'Amazing Grace' and 'You're The Voice'.
The group must not have checked their calendars because Parliament isn't sitting until next week. They demanded to at least see a 'representative' from the federal government.
In the lead-up to the convoy, a GoFundMe was being promoted on social media and was started by someone called Ironbark Thunderbolt.
It's amassed more than $160,000 in donations from 2,500 people in less than a week.
GoFundMe has confirmed that the fundraiser has been frozen until Ironbark can accurately explain where the money is going.
A spokesperson for the website explained: "The funds will be held safely until the organiser completes the verification process, and is able to provide documentation to our team about how funds will be distributed."
Ironbark said on the fundraiser that they intend to give the huge amount of cash to doomsday prepper, James Greer, who kicked off the movement when he said he was going to drive from Western Australia to Canberra in his camper to protest.
The description on the GoFundMe says: "Money will be withdrawn into James' account and the team will gather receipts and information from those in need for reimbursement or transfer.
"Transfers will then be made directly to the people in need. Our lawful team are happy to deal with any discrepancies."
Organisers said they will continue to flock to Canberra over the coming days.
The form of protest is similar to what has happened in Canada, where a convoy of truckers converged on the capital to demand Prime Minister Justin Trudeau change his country's rules around vaccination.
Featured Image Credit: 2022 Official Convoy to Canberra/FacebookTopics: Australia
Stewart Perrie