Airbnb Placing Ban On Rioters and Hate Groups Ahead of Inauguration

Airbnb moves to ban rioters from the capitol hill protest from booking with them. Airbnb takes action to secure the upcoming capital event.

The move comes after some city officials ask Airbnb, VRBO, and other rental hosts to take down their listings until the Jan. 20 inauguration is over. However, Airbnb is taking action to ban those who were apart of the riot last week. On Monday, Airbnb says that it’s reviewing bookings in Washington, D.C.

The review comes ahead of next week’s presidential event. Furthermore, Airbnb says they will bar any guests linked with hate groups or violent activity. The company states that it is cross-referencing arrest records to decide who should be removed. The company wouldn’t say Monday how many people it had removed so far.

When you look into Airbnb’s policy, you can see that the home sharing company held this system since 2017.  The policy of removing guests who are confirmed to be apart of hate groups started when it blocked guests headed to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Airbnb warns that they will bring legal action against guests, that do attend if they cause any violent events.

In addition to Airbnb banning rioters, The American Flight Association (AFA) has also taken action. Last Wednesday, the union released a statement pushing for people apart of the riot at the Capitol to be banned from future flights. The union serves almost 50,000 flight attendants at 17 different airlines.  In addition to their restraints, the union wants to secure the safety of employees and provide support to members and their families.