Canadian judge officially freezes access to crowd-funded money donated to trucker protesters

A judge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has granted a request to freeze access to funds donated by supporters to the convoy truckers protesting pandemic mandates who have ground Ottawa to a halt in the last two weeks.

The judge granted the request, which was filed by government officials, to block access to funds raised on the Christian fundraising website GiveSendGo.

The action is the latest in a series of blows to the trucker protesters, who have already had their GoFundMe fundraiser shut down for using the money to fund what the site calls “an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.”

The Canadian government this weekend began sending law enforcement officers to clear protesters from blocking roads and snarling traffic all over the city. The protest has spread to several border crossings between the US and Canada, impeding the flow of goods back and forth between the two countries, and keeping many people who live in the areas from getting to work.

The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, Tweeted earlier this week reaffirming the government’s position on what they are also calling an occupation.

“I spoke with Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau this evening about the ongoing occupations in Ottawa and Windsor. We will continue working  together to support our police forces as they manage these situations. We both agreed this must come to an end,” Ford wrote.