Unite The Right: Uber, Airbnb To Ban Users Who Violate Guidelines

Platforms like Uber and Airbnb will take action against anyone using their services during the "Unite The Right 2" rally in Washington D.C. if they violate their community guidelines. The rally in Lafayette Park takes place on the one-year anniversary of the deadly rally by the same name in Charlottesville where a woman was killed after an accused white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters, according to federal officials.

Ride-sharing platforms Uber and Lyft have given guidelines to their drivers in the D.C. area, sharing road closures and reminding them that their safety comes first and that they have the right to end or cancel a ride if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

An Uber spokesperson said if the platform's community guidelines are violated, the company will take appropriate action, including removing a user's access to the app. A day before the rally in Charlottesville last year, two men accused of making racist remarks during a ride in D.C. were asked by their African-American Uber driver to leave the car mid-ride, according to BuzzFeed News. According to BuzzFeed, Uber banned white supremacist James Allsup from the app after the incident. Allsup's fellow passenger was reportedly alt-right leader Tim Gionet, who is known as Baked Alaska.

Airbnb said in a statement that it acted in advance of the events in Charlottesville last year, when it removed users from the platform affiliated with the white supremacist rally who had booked Airbnb listings to organize parties.

"When we identify and determine that there are those who would be pursuing behavior on the Airbnb platform that would be antithetical to the Airbnb Community Commitment, we seek to take appropriate action, which may include removing them from the platform," the company said. "We acted in advance of last year's horrific event in Charlottesville and if we become aware of similar information we won’t hesitate to do so again."

The rally at Lafayette Park, which is right across from the White House, will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. A counter-protest will be held at Freedom Plaza between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.

SEE ALSO:

• 'Unite The Right' Rally, Counter Protests Sunday: What To Know

The Department of Justice announced in June that the accused driver of the car at the Charlottesville rally, James Alex Fields Jr., 21, was indicted on 30 counts, including federal hate crime charges.

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