Yahoo Finance Airbnb evicts far-right activists planning to visit US city for 'white supremacy' rally
Airbnb has evicted Far Right activists planning to stay in a US city for a rally linked to white supremacy.
The property sharing site has been deactivating accounts of users it suspects want to attend the Unite The Right event in Charlottesville in Virginia.
A number of people have vented on social media at the decision, with some calling for a boycott of the service, which has tens of millions of users across the world.
Looks like Airbnb is permanently deactivating the account of anyone booking a room in Charlottesville if they think it’s for the rally. Gay! pic.twitter.com/O1NTzwWpuu
— Illegal Aryan (@Illegal_Aryan) August 6, 2017
It’s time for the #AltRight to flex its muscles and boycott @Airbnb. Also need to consider a lawsuit #UniteTheRighthttps://t.co/Ms6zb4sszC
— Jason Kessler (@TheMadDimension) August 7, 2017
The rally is scheduled to take place on Saturday. It has been organised by self-styled “white activist” Jason Kessler and will feature several speakers associated with white nationalism in the US, including white supremacist Richard Spencer.
MORE: Holiday lets: 3 things to consider first before investing
Airbnb evidently suspects several listings in the area were booked with the intention of holding parties for neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer.
The Daily Stormer’s staff have announced their intention to attend Unite The Right. Spencer’s official Altright.com Discord server has him scheduled to hold a co-Q&A at the event.
In a statement first released to the Gizmodo website, Airbnb said: “In 2016, we established the Airbnb Community Commitment reflecting our belief that to make good on our mission of belonging, those who are members of the Airbnb community accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age.
“We asked all members of the Airbnb to affirmatively sign on to this commitment.
“When through our background check processes or from input of our community we identify and determine that there are those who would be pursuing behaviour on the platform that would be antithetical to the Airbnb Community Commitment, we seek to take appropriate action including, as in this case, removing them from the platform.”
MORE: Rents in London are falling as the capital’s stagnant market drags back the rest of the UK
Jason Kessler hit back at the move. In an email to the Washington Post, he said it was “outrageous” and should be grounds for a lawsuit.
“It’s the racial targeting of white people for their ethnic advocacy,” he said, adding the rally “is opposed to the historical and demographic displacement of white people”.
He went on: “Would Airbnb cancel the service of black nationalists or Black Lives Matter activists for their social media activity? Of course not!”
MORE: Buyer thought Georgian dolls’ house was real home after it was listed on property website
Authorities fear the rally could be the largest gathering of far right sympathisers for years.
It is being held in what is now known as Emancipation Park – but it was previously called Robert E Lee Park, named after the leader of the Confederate army during the US Civil War of the 1860s.
