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The resilience of Canadian citizens and the courage of a Christian crowdfunding platform are holding tyranny at bay. For now.

The ‘Freedom Convoy’ — a protest launched to end vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers — has since grown into a Canada-wide campaign for medical freedom and a return to normality.

The peaceful demonstration has seen significant success and is inspiring similar movements around the world. But it has faced a conspiracy of opposition from Canada’s government, law enforcement, legacy media and Big Tech.

Two Fundraisers Targeted

Last week, GoFundMe shut down the Freedom Convoy’s US$10m fundraiser, claiming to have evidence from police (yet to be forthcoming) that the protests had turned violent and unlawful. Initially the platform announced they would be redirecting the funds to alternative charities. But donors and U.S. officials pressured GoFundMe to instead offer full reimbursements.

A second fundraiser was quickly set up when the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo offered its services. Within days, organisers had once again raised over US$8.5 million for their cause.

Then today, the Premier of Ontario sensationally announced that he had convinced a judge to freeze the GiveSendGo fundraiser, preventing the non-profit from transferring the funds to protest organisers. According to Ezra Lavant of Rebel News, the decision was made ‘ex parte’ — that is, in “a surprise hearing, in secret, with only the government in the room with the judge”.

It is a decision that was apparently made on shaky legal grounds and can yet be challenged by GiveSendGo and the fundraiser’s organiser. According to Levant, the ruling likely has little sway over funds that are held by a U.S. charity in a U.S. bank account.

GiveSendGo Says ‘No’

In any case, GiveSendGo is not backing down. Almost immediately after the news broke, the Christian non-profit announced that it will not be following the orders of the Ontario court to freeze the Freedom Convoy funds:

Demonstrators in downtown Ottawa have been called names by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They have been mischaracterised as violent and dangerous by the mayor and city law enforcement. Their peaceful demonstrations have been smeared as an ‘insurrection’ by Canadian and American news channels.

A a Daily Mail journalist, who spent a week on the ground with protesters, corrects the record:

Since DailyMail.com arrived in Ottawa last week we have seen no indication of violence or vandalism or any extremist political agenda. In fact, the demonstrations have shown the opposite. Supplies brought in for the protesters also include bouncy castles for children as protests continue into the second week…

Every trucker DailyMail.com spoke with said they came to protest non-violently and their only reason being there was to free Canada of its covid mandates. Truckers were conscientious of the public streets and kept them free of litter. They also shovelled snow and threw down de-icer making the streets and sidewalks easier to walk on.

As with so much during the last two years, this is an ideological war. The propaganda of those in power is the main weapon, and the joy, creativity and courage of ordinary people is the best defence.