Airbnb did not hesitate to cancel a reservation made by a so-called member of the neo-fascist, far-right group Proud Boys. Asserting their vow to not associate with members of hate groups the alleged member was banned completely from the platform.
What We Know:
- As Trump continues to push voter fraud claims, many of his supporters join him in protest. This past Saturday, thousands of Trump supporters gathered near Freedom Plaza-east of the White House-for the “Million Maga March” and “Stop the Steal” rallies.
- A thread from a Telegram groupchat ran by Proud Boys was posted to Twitter ahead of the protests. The screenshot showed a man, Ronald Gaudier, inviting others to an Airbnb rental he obtained within walking distance of the rally. He invited anyone needing a place to stay to message him if interested. The post was retweeted several time calling out Airbnb. One user wrote, “Hey @Airbnb what are your thoughts on members of white supremacist hate groups like the ‘Proud Boys’ using your platform?” Another asked if Airbnb supported “far right extremists and Proud Boys using your platform for the Million MAGA March”.
- Airbnb promptly responded to the wave of concern letting users know they appreciated that it was brought to their attention. The company went on to say, “anyone affiliated with hate groups has no place on Airbnb. We’ve identified the reservation, cancelled it, and banned the user from our platform”. The Southern Poverty Law center labeled Proud Boys as a general hate group regularly spouting white nationalist memes and often associated with extremist. They also noted their anti-Muslim agenda and misogynistic rhetoric.
- The freshly banned member returned to Telegram complaining Airbnb’s decision to blacklist him from the website. He claimed he is not in fact a Proud Boy even though he was chatting among them. He wrote, “It turns out I was somehow outed to AirBnB and they canceled not only my reservation but my membership because they ‘won’t support members of hate groups.’ Funny thing is I’M NOT A PROUD BOY nor do I intend to ever be one!” Gaudier attempted to “make clear” that he has no desire to be apart of the alt-right group. He says he was in the vetting room, a forum used to analyze the records of Trumps judicial nominations, and when he realized the company he was in it gave him pause. However, he 100% supports freedom of speech and believed his ban was a “badge of honor”.
- Whether or not Gaudier was actually a Proud Boy was not important to Airbnb. They stated his association was enough for the company to take action. Airbnb’s Community Standards asserts: “Members of dangerous organizations, including terrorist, organized criminal, and violent racist groups, are not welcome in this community.” They did make certain that regular people attending pro-Trump rallies do not have to fear canceled reservations or getting banned.
The protest began peaceful but later was faced with violence as Trump supporters clashed with counter-protesters. Trump’s motorcade briefly passed through the rally catching wind of the erupted chaos. He took to Twitter blaming the violence on “antifa scum” urging police to not hold back and do their job.
