FOX Business’ Jeff Flock talks to a Canadian truck driver who says the Freedom Convoy movement is more than just truckers.
Toronto-Dominion Bank froze two personal bank accounts, one of which included C$1.4 million ($1.1 million), to support “Freedom Convoy” protesters in Canada who are pushing back against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 procedures.
‘FREEDOM CONVOY’: PROTESTERS GATHER AT BUFFALO PEACE BRIDGE NEAR US-CANADA BORDER
The decision to freeze the accounts was confirmed by a spokesperson for the bank in a statement, according to a report from Reuters.
Vehicles of the protest convoy are seen parked on the Sir John A. Macdonald parkway leading in to downtown Ottawa on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP / AP Newsroom)
The move, according to the statement, came after TD applied to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice this week about taking funds sent through bank transfers and GoFundMe and giving them to the intended recipients or returning them to the donors “who have requested refunds but whose entitlement to a refund cannot be determined by TD.”
The outlet reported that one bank account received C$1 million through GoFundMe and the rest was sent to a second account through a variety of bank transfers. The spokesperson said TD is unsure of where the GoFundMe payment originated.
Toronto Dominion bank sign in clear sky. The bank is the second largest and important in the North American country. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In an email to Reuters, Keith Wilson, an attorney for the convoy, said TD has been put “on notice that their actions are improper and disappointing.”
GoFundMe faced immense criticism earlier this month after the company decided to pause the fundraising page for the convoy after it surpassed $10 million.
Protesters of the Freedom convoy gather near the parliament hill as truckers continue to protest in Ottawa, Canada on February 7, 2022. (Kadri Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The “Convoy” claimed that its initial protest of 1,600 trucks swelled to 36,000 over the first week, though the Washington Post places the number closer to 8,000. The cause has drawn international attention and support, with a U.S. trucker protest possibly starting this weekend in Los Angeles around the Super Bowl, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
FOX Business could not immediately reach Toronto-Dominion Bank or legal representation for the convoy.
