The organisers of a trucker-led protest in Canada against COVID-19 mandates have turned to a Christian fundraising site after being cut off by the popular GoFundMe platform.
Several Republican officials in the United States have meanwhile called for investigations into GoFundMe after the fundraising site stopped taking donations for the "freedom convoy" protest in Ottawa.
The protesters have parked their big rigs on streets in the Canadian capital and put up tents and temporary shacks - paralysing the city to the consternation of officials and the mounting frustration of many residents.
The demonstrations began as protests by truckers angry with vaccine requirements when crossing the US-Canadian border, but have morphed into broader protests against COVID-19 health restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Truckers continue their rally over the weekend to pressure the government to roll back COVID-19 public health regulations and mandates. Source: Getty Images
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson announced a state of emergency on Sunday, saying the ongoing protests pose a "serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents".
On Monday, Mr Watson urged the federal government to appoint a mediator to work with protesters and find a way to defuse the 10-day-long demonstration which has infuriated local residents with incessant honking and diesel fumes.
Mr Trudeau, who has been in quarantine , has not commented on the weekend protests.
GoFundMe removed the donation page for the "freedom convoy" on Friday, claiming it violated the crowdsourced fundraising site's terms of service that "prohibit user content that reflects or promotes behaviour in support of violence".
It announced the next day that it would refund all of the donations made so far. More than $8 million had been raised at the time.
After the GoFundMe cutoff, organisers launched a donation drive on GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the "leader in Christian fundraising".
More than C$4.7 million ($5.21 million) has been raised on GiveSendGo as of Monday.
Former US President Donald Trump was among the prominent Republican leaders in the United States speaking out in support of the "freedom convoy".
"Facebook and Big Tech are seeking to destroy the Freedom Convoy of Truckers," Mr Trump said in a statement.
"The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates."
Investigations
Republican officials in several US states including West Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Louisiana and Florida said they would study whether GoFundMe had broken any laws.
"My office will be looking into whether or not #GoFundMe violated our state law," tweeted Louisiana's attorney general, Jeff Landry.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he had assembled a team to investigate "potential fraud & deception" by GoFundMe.
"Texas donors will get Justice!" Mr Paxton tweeted.
Among the prominent critics of GoFundMe's move has been billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk who tweeted memes and links to articles calling them "professional thieves".
Crowdsourced fundraising sites and payments platforms have been entangled previously in political controversies.
GoFundMe last year shut down accounts seeking to raise funds for the defence of , the American teen who shot dead two men during protests and riots against police brutality in Wisconsin in 2020.
GoFundMe once again allowed fundraising for Mr Rittenhouse after he was acquitted of all charges last November.
In 2010, Bank of America, PayPal, MasterCard, Visa and Western Union cut off donations for WikiLeaks after the whistleblowing site published State Department cables and confidential US military information.
