Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday threatened to investigate GoFundMe over apparent "fraud" after the crowdfunding platform vowed to refund money donated to the Freedom Convoy, a protest against pandemic restrictions led by Canadian truckers that has virtually shut down Ottawa, that nation's capital city.
The demonstration, which has amassed roughly 50,000 truckers and thousands of tagalong supporters, gained steam late last month after the Canadian government passed a law mandating that all truckers who cross the U.S.-Canada border be vaccinated. Members of the protest have converged just outside Canada's Parliament building, clogging the city's traffic flow, blasting loud music and even assaulting local residents. On Sunday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency as authorities began making arrests and seizing vehicles. (Salon's Kathryn Joyce interviewed a Canadian expert in hate groups on the various forces converging in the convoy protest.)
