More than 1,200 Manitobans donated cash to convoy protests Hacked database listing contributors includes professors at province’s three largest universities By: Dylan Robertson Posted: 7:00 PM CST Monday, Feb. 14, 2022

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This article was published 13/02/2022 (949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The convoy protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates have had financial backing from more than 1,000 Manitobans, according to a leaked database reviewed by the Free Press.

The so-called Freedom Convoy that has occupied downtown Ottawa since Jan. 28 originally got financial support through the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, which announced Feb. 4 it would refund most of the $10.1 million donated out of concern it would be supporting violence and harassment.

Since then, the Christian site GiveSendGo has stepped in, raising US$8 million until the Ontario government convinced a court to freeze donations to the site last Thursday.

On Sunday evening, hackers took that site offline, and released a list of 92,000 donations, with the name, email and postal code that each donor submitted.

“It’s the first time I can say I’m proud to be Canadian, in a very long time,” said Gerry Papp, who runs a fencing company just outside Winnipeg.

“It’s the first time I can say I’m proud to be Canadian, in a very long time.” – Gerry Papp

He was the most generous of the 1,207 donors who listed a Canadian postal code starting with R, meaning they have a Manitoba address.

Donations linked to Manitoba addresses amount to US$146,492, plus donations to the GiveSendGo platform that amount to another $9,242.90.

Papp donated US$2,000 to the convoy, saying he finds mandates to be state coercion reminiscent of the Hungarian communist regime his parents fled.

“When guys drive across (Canada) and fight for things like freedom, that means a lot to a guy like me,” he said.

Papp worries about COVID-19 vaccine ingredients. It’s a risk Papp takes seriously enough that he’s given up on travelling to the United States, where he often went to pick up cheaper supplies for his business.

Papp said the Trudeau government has focused too much on paying people to stay home instead of improving hospital capacity. He argues the Liberals have gone with a divisive approach instead of managing the risk as other countries have.

“I was always told if you’re a leader, you should lead… but there is none of that coming from Ottawa; it’s embarrassing,” he said.

“It’s all about freedom of choice; it’s unfortunate truckers had to be our representative, but they’re the ones stepping up to the plate. It should be our media and politicians stepping up.” – Ted Hofer

Ted Hofer, who works with a drywall company in Springfield, said he felt “extorted” into getting vaccinated, as he couldn’t visit worksites otherwise.

He said the truckers were the first visible group echoing his views, and so he gave them US$475.

“It’s all about freedom of choice; it’s unfortunate truckers had to be our representative, but they’re the ones stepping up to the plate. It should be our media and politicians stepping up,” said Hofer.

He said COVID-19 vaccines are safe, but he argues mandates undermine the principle of body autonomy that many progressives hold dear.

“If a woman wants to get an abortion that’s none of my damn business,” he said, as an analogy.

Hofer also argued that radicals and conspiracy theorists seen in the convoy distract from those who want to peacefully protest, using the analogy of people who paint all reporters as biased.

The three main organizers of the Ottawa convoy all have ties to far-right movements. In the encampment around Parliament Hill there remain signs offensive to minority groups, yet many in the crowd say they reject those views.

Participants in blockades at Emerson, in Windsor, Ont., and elsewhere have said the same, after police seized weapons at the Coutts, Alta., border-crossing protest.

Meanwhile, virologists and immunologists argue that the benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh the tiny risk of side effects for the vast majority of individuals. They say the shots are key to reducing transmission of the virus and easing the strain on the health-care system that COVID-19 has created.

Some donors did not want to discuss the fundraiser. The hacked database includes email addresses for professors teaching at the universities of Manitoba, Winnipeg and Brandon University, one of whom reacted with anger when contacted.

“You’re contacting me with illegally obtained financial information. And you’re wondering how I feel about the fusion of state, corporate and financial power to subvert legal, grassroots movements,” she replied in an email to the Free Press.

“Honestly, what is wrong with you?”

“What’s missing is the personal, human side of this in a lot of the reporting.” – Jim Pallister

Jim Pallister, who operates a farm west of Portage la Prairie, is vaccinated but feels the mandates are punishing for people who opt out of getting immunized , leaving them unable to travel or pursue normal post-secondary education.

“It’s a huge injustice to young people,” said Pallister, brother of the former Manitoba premier Brian Pallister.

He said a young friend’s daughter recovered from COVID but has been blocked from having a normal life.

“People like her ought to have rights,” he said. “What’s missing is the personal, human side of this in a lot of the reporting.”

Manitobans had also given to the GoFundMe campaign before it was halted; one donor had offered $5,000 but it was refunded.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca