Canadian trucker protesters have bitcoin donations seized
The Canadian truckers protesting vaccine mandates had their donations seized, even if the contributions were made in Bitcoin, reported Vice's Motherboard on Tuesday.
While the overwhelming majority (over 90 percent) of truckers in Canada have been vaccinated, a small few are miffed they're being asked to get vaccinated to take deliveries back and forth between Canada and the United States.
A Christian crowd-funding website helped raise millions for the so-called "freedom convoy," but those funds were seized as part of the Emergencies Act.
"In that moment, Bitcoin entered the arena hoping to be the lead rescuer of the protesters from financial troubles, with the organizers of Bitcoin fundraiser HonkHonkHodl raising more than $1 million in the cryptocurrency," said the report. Now those donations have also been seized.
“Getting your money turned off is insanely harmful. One trucker I met ran a business and didn’t know when he was going to be able to pay his 10 drivers next,” a HonkHonkHodle lead organizer said in a chat with Motherboard.
Those leading the operation are now being sued by a group that wants the donations to be distributed to Ottawa citizens who have been impacted by the noise and even violence.
"The Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police ordered banks and crypto exchanges to block any transactions from crypto wallets tied to the truckers," the report said.
Kraken CEO Jesse Powell, who donated $43,000 to the cause, said that the addresses would also be banned on his crypto exchange. “100% yes it has/will happen and 100% yes, we will be forced to comply. If you're worried about it, don't keep your funds with any centralized/regulated custodian. We cannot protect you. Get your coins/cash out and only trade p2p," he said.
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