Anti-vaccination protesters gathered in front of Parliament House for Convoy to Canberra, as crowd-funding website GoFundMe freezes over $170,000 amid concerns about how the money will be spent.
Yesterday’s protest was inspired by Canada’s Freedom Convoy, where hundreds of trucks flocked to Ottawa – the big difference though in the Australian iteration was the somewhat lack of trucks.
The Canada convoy was organised in response to a recently implemented regulation that requires truckies returning from the US to show proof of vaccination. But broadened to include Canadians critical of pandemic restrictions in general, and of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
At the Convoy to Canberra, vehicles made their way onto the lawn between Old Parliament House and Parliament House.
“Ironbark Thunderbolt” has organised a GoFundMe fundraiser for the convoy “on behalf of WA truck driver James Greer”.
The GoFundMe page states, “Money will be withdrawn into James’ account and the team will gather receipts and information from those in need for reimbursement or transfer.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.
The fundraising page continues, “I know GoFundMe have a bad reputation currently, however I am sure they will come to the party.”
Though GoFundMe has asked for full transparency about where this money will go and how it will be spent.
“We are continuing to work directly with the organiser to gather information about how funds are being distributed, this is part of our standard process to ensure the protection of all donors,” a spokesperson for GoFundMe told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Once a withdrawal plan is provided by the organiser, our team is on standby to safely and quickly deliver the funds.”
Protests are expected to continue over the coming days.
Big Rigs has contacted the GoFundMe organiser Ironbark Thunderbolt for comment.
If you’re a truckie who has taken part in the Convoy to Canberra and have applied to have any expenses reimbursed, let us know how you got on by emailing editor@bigrigs.com.au.