Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar did something that stunned some conservatives when she defended a shop owner who donated to the Freedom Convoy in Canada.
The representative tweeted in response to a post from an editor for the Ottawa Citizen/Sun who had shared a report about Stella Luna Gelato Cafe in Ottawa, Canada, closing their shop after they were threatened for donating to the convoy.
“I fail to see why any journalist felt the need to report on a shop owner making such a insignificant donation rather than to get them harassed. It’s unconscionable and journalists need to do better,” she said.
The original tweeter, editor Allison Mah, has made her tweets protected since Omar chastised her.
The story in the Ottawa Citizen/Sun reported that the GiveSendGo data of donors was hacked and published and the owner of the shop, Tammy Giuliani’s $250 donation has caused the shop to get threats.
“We got a call from the team saying, ‘We’re getting phone calls here,’” she said. “I said, ‘What’s going on?’ and they said, ‘They’re threatening to throw bricks through our window. They’re threatening to come and get us.’ We said, ‘Lock the door and we’ll find out what’s going on.’”
In her post on the donation website she said that she had originally given $100 but since that had been frozen she raised her donation to $250.
“Now I’m giving you $250 and taking food down to the truckers every day. Thank you for continuing to fight for Canadians across this country,” she said.
She is now regretting making her donation.
“When a group of people first decided they were going to travel across the country to spread this message of solidarity, it seemed like a beacon of hope for small businesses like us,” the owner said. “It’s no surprise that small businesses have been on the edge. Families are at risk of losing their livelihood. I’m a sucker for a grassroots cause.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we anticipate what has transpired over the past couple of weeks,” she argued. “None of us anticipated what it turned into and we certainly don’t condone it.
“In retrospect it was bad judgment, but does that mean that people have a right to threaten our staff? Does it mean people have the right to threaten to throw bricks though our window and to threaten my family? We made a mistake. Who could have anticipated it?” she said.
Giuliani made her Feb. 5 donation on the second weekend of the demonstration, when Ottawa police were describing it as “volatile and dangerous” and lawyers were seeking a court injunction to silence the constant blaring of air horns in the downtown core.
The backlash against Stella Luna on social media was swift and intense, with many pointing out that a rival creamery, Mooshu Ice Cream on Bank Street, had to close because anti-mask demonstrators threatened its staff.
Giuliani said the demonstrators had caused problems at her shops too, entering without masks and trying to force confrontations.
“I notified the staff not to get into any confrontation. I said, ‘Your job is to serve food and drinks, not get blasted by someone trying to make a point.’”
Giuliani says she’s made contributions to many other charitable causes, too, including animal shelters, a soccer team and a choir. “We rarely say no,” she said.
The company has borrowed money to stay afloat during the pandemic, a debt that will probably take seven years to pay off, she said.
Stella Luna operates two shops in Ottawa and one in Merrickville. It employs about 40 people, Giuliani said.
