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How US money for protests in Canada could influence US politics

How U.S. Money for Protests in Canada Could Influence U.S. Politics

About 44 percent of the nearly $10 million in contributions to support the protesters originated from US donors, according to an Associated Press analysis of leaked donor files. US Republican elected officials, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, praised the protesters, calling them “heroes” and “patriots.”

Fox News host Sean Hannity told two protest organizers on his show Wednesday that “you have a lot of support from your friends in America. I can tell you that. He added: “We have a movement in the United States that is starting very soon.”

Prime Minister Trudeau and other top Canadian officials have harshly criticized financial support from other countries.

“What this country is facing is a targeted, coordinated and largely foreign-funded attack on critical infrastructure and our democratic institutions,” Bill Blair, the UK’s minister for public safety and emergency preparedness, said earlier this week. Canada.

Ian Reifowitz, a professor of historical studies at the State University of New York, called the protests a “gift” for Republicans in the US, predicting they will use the populist appeal of the rallies to raise money ahead of the election. mid-term in November.

“They constantly need new outrages,” said Reifowitz, author of “The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh’s Racially Harassing Rhetoric on the Obama Presidency Paved the Way for Trump.”

“It’s a big (problem) eight or nine months before the election for them,” he said. “It allows you to deposit money, deposit volunteers, and energize the base, which is what you want to do.”

Protesters in Ottawa have regularly been given fuel and food, and the area around Parliament Hill has at times resembled a spectacular carnival with bouncy castles, gyms, a playground and a concert stage with DJs.

GiveSendGo, a website used to collect donations for Canadian protests, has raised at least $9.58 million, including $4.2 million, or 44%, that originated in the United States, according to a database of donor information posted online by DDoSecrets, a non-profit group.

However, the government in Canada have been working to block protesters’ access to these funds and it is unclear how much of the money was ultimately raised.

Millions of dollars raised through another crowdfunding site, GoFundMe, were blocked after Canadian officials raised objections to the company, which determined the effort violated its terms of service regarding illegal activities.

The GiveSendGo database analyzed by the AP showed more than 109,000 donations as of Friday night to campaigns in support of the protests, with just under 62,000 coming from the US.

The GiveSendGo data listed multiple Americans who donated thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to the protest, with the largest single donation of $90,000 coming from a person who identified himself as Thomas M. Siebel.

Siebel, the billionaire founder of the software company Siebel Systems, did not respond to messages sent to an email associated with a foundation he runs and to his LinkedIn account.

A representative from the Siebel Scholars Foundation, who signed her name only as Jennifer, did not respond to questions about whether she had donated the money. But he said Siebel has a history of supporting various causes, including efforts to “protect individual liberty.”

“These are personal initiatives and have nothing to do with the companies you are associated with,” he wrote.

Siebel has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates and organizations over the past 20 years, according to Federal Election Commission records, including a $400,000 contribution in 2019 to a GOP fundraising committee called “Take Back theHouse 2020”.

The GiveSendGo Freedom Convoy campaign was created on January 27 by Tamara Lich. He was previously a member of the far-right Maverick Party, which calls for Western Canada to become independent.

The Canadian government took steps earlier this week to cut off funding for protesters by expanding the scope of the country’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regulations to cover crowdfunding platforms such as GiveSendGo.

“We are making these changes because we know that these platforms are being used to support illegal blockades and illegal activities, which is hurting the Canadian economy,” Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said.

Perhaps more important than the financial support is the support protesters in Canada have received from leading conservative American politicians and pundits, like Hannity, who see kindred spirits in their neighbors to the north who oppose vaccine mandates.

The same day that Lich created the GiveSendGo campaign, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn shared a video of the convoy in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

“These truckers are fighting back against nonsense and tyranny, especially from the Canadian government,” wrote Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who briefly served as national security adviser to former President Donald Trump.

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Three Men Found Guilty of Murdering Ahmaud Arbery

Three Men Found Guilty of Murdering Ahmaud Arbery

Three white men who ran after and shot a black jogger in Georgia have been found guilty of murder, a case which led to wave of nationwide racial justice protests.

25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead on the 23rd February 2020 after a confrontation with Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their neighbor, William Bryan.

The jury came to unanimous decisions on Wednesday, at the Glynn county courthouse, convicting the shooter Travis McMichael on all nine counts, including murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. Greg McMichael was convicted on eight of the nine counts including felony murder and William Bryan was convicted on six of the nine counts. No emotion was shown by any of the men when the verdicts were made.

All three will now spend a minimum sentence of life in prison and will be sentenced at a future date.

Mother of Ahmaud Arbery, Wanda Cooper-Jones addressed reporters and supporters outside the courthouse, saying: “It’s been a long fight, it’s been a hard fight, but God is good,” she said. “To tell you the truth I never saw this day in 2020, I did not think this day would come … Thank you, thank you for those who marched. Thank you to those who prayed.”

“He will now rest in peace,” she continued.

Father, Marcus Arbery, stated that the verdict displayed: “We conquered that lynch mob. We got that lynch mob.”

Civil rights activist, Rev Al Sharpton, said: “A jury of eleven whites in court said that black lives DO matter… All whites are not racist and all blacks are not worthless.”

After the verdict was made, President Joe Biden said: “Ahmaud Arbery’s killing – witnessed by the world on video – is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country.

“Mr Arbery should be here today, celebrating the holidays with his mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, and his father, Marcus Arbery.

“Nothing can bring Mr Arbery back to his family and to his community, but the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.

“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the colour of their skin.

“My administration will continue to do the hard work to ensure that equal justice under law is not just a phrase emblazoned in stone above the Supreme Court, but a reality for all Americans.”

What Happened to Ahmaud Arbery?

Ahmaud Arbery went out jogging during the afternoon on the 23rd February 2020 on the suburbs of Brunswick in Georgia.

Resident Greg McMichael witness Arbery jogging and called the police as he believed Arbery mirrored the suspect in a sequence of burglaries that took place in Satilla Shores.

Police have stated that no reports were filed regarding these burgularies and that no stolen possession were found with Arbery.

The McMichaels went to arm themselves and chased after Arbery in a pickup truck down the neighborhood. Neighbor, William Bryan later joined their pursuit.

The jury heard a 911 call which took place where Greg McMichael stated to an operator: “I’m out here in Satilla Shores. There’s a black male running down the street.”

Travis McMichael testified in court affirming that he tried to talk with Arbery prior to the shooting while the other two were in the truck, but stated that Arbery did not respond.

He then left his truck and fired three shots out of the shotgun he had with him at Arbery. Travis McMichael maintained it was self-defence, saying that Arbery attempted to grab his weapon off him.

The three were arrested in May 2020.

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Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski Arrested During Kavanaugh Protest

Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski Arrested During Kavanaugh Protest

Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski joined thousands at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill to protest the Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. The actor and model were two familiar faces among the 300 people to be arrested during Thursday’s protests.

In video footage that has been circulating on Twitter, Schumer, 37, can be seen interacting with the police.

“You want to be arrested?” an officer warns her.

Schumer replies: “Yes.”

An outspoken advocate for women’s rights and gun control, Schumer’s shirt read: “This today, then #ERA”.

Ratajkowski, 27, shared an image of herself with a banner on social media, stating that she had also been arrested at the protests.

“Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power.”

In the photo, Ratajkowski’s banner reads: “Respect female existence or expect our resistance”.

The Women’s March, a liberal organization that moved in opposition of President Donald Trump, was one of multiple activist groups tweeting from the protest.

It comes before The Senate’s crucial vote on whether to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court on Friday. A week-long FBI investigation has concluded, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Banners from angry protestors read: “We believe Christine Ford”—the woman who has spoken out about being sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh at a party in 1982.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has expressed support for Kavanaugh—who denied all allegations—recently angering some of his fellow Republicans by speaking against Ms Ford’s testimony.

“How did you get home? I don’t remember. How’d you get there? I don’t remember. Where is the place? I don’t remember. How many years ago was it? I don’t know,” the President mocked.

Republican, Jeff Flake, responded to the incident, saying: “There is no time and no place for remarks like that, but to discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right.”

Kavanaugh’s appointment to the US Supreme Court would put it in favour of conservatives for years to come.

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