Anti-vaccine ‘truckers’ robbed of millions of dollars raised

Crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has blocked access to millions of dollars raised by the controversial organizer of the anti-vax truckers’ protest who will be heading to Ottawa this week.

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Hundreds of truck drivers from Quebec and the rest of the country will make their way to the federal capital where they are expected on January 28 and 29. Protesters plan to slow down traffic on the highways and even create traffic jams.

This movement, called “Convoy for freedom”, aims to denounce the obligation to vaccinate truckers at the Canadian-American border. This measure came into effect on January 15.

The organizer of the demonstration, a certain Tamara Lich from Alberta, raised more than $3.5M in 10 days on GoFundMe.

This crowdfunding platform has confirmed to Journal that it froze the funds this week after getting reports.

“Donations will be held securely until the organizer is able to provide our team with documentation of how the funds will be properly distributed,” confirms Rachel Hollis, director of communications at GoFundMe.

“It is part of our process to ensure that all funds are delivered safely and reach the right place. As I mentioned, our priority is to protect the generosity of all donors,” she adds.

Controversial organizer

Deprived of her millions of dollars, Tamara Lich asked protesters this weekend to send her money directly to an email address to fund her expenses.

The organizer of the antivax truckers’ demo also has a roadmap that raised eyebrows among several internet users.

In 2019, Tamara Lich was an organizer of yellow vest rallies in Alberta. This movement became infamous for posting death threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on social media.

She is also secretary of the Maverick Party, which was formerly known as Wexit Canada. This right-wing political party calls in particular for the independence of the western provinces.

Our requests to interview Ms. Lich went unanswered yesterday afternoon.

No truckers

Pierre Pelletier, owner of the Transport Pelletier company in the Greater Montreal region, invites Quebec truckers to beware of this gathering.

“We tried to contact the organizers, but no one answered. They are conspirators and antivax who want to use truckers to advance their cause and make money. They are not truckers, we try to warn as many people as possible on social networks, ”denounces Mr. Pelletier.

The latter, who runs two Facebook groups with 50,000 truckers, says its members are outraged by the protest and fear it will damage their reputation.

For its part, the office of the Minister of Transport of Canada recalls that “90% of Canadian truckers are already vaccinated”.

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