A lot went down this weekend. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which temporarily suspends all immigration for citizens of seven Muslim countries for the next 90s days. The countries include: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The suspension is supposedly to provide time to review vetting systems before refugees are allowed to enter the US.
Social media was awash with alarmed posts over the ban, and brands were quick to jump with support. AirBnB chief executive Brain Chesky tweeted that anyone in need of housing could contact him directly. And soon after AirBnB made the statement that they were providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. The statement released by the home-sharing app read as follows:
'Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we must stand with those who are affected. AirBnB is providing free housing to refugees and anyone else who needs it in the event they are denied the ability to board a US-bound flight and are not in your city/country of residence. We have 3 million homes, so we can definitely find people a place to stay.'
The support did not go unnoticed, and has received both positive and negative backlash on Twitter. Some were quick to pick up on the lack of free housing for homeless people, but others branded this move ‘wonderful.’
AirBnB isn’t the only high profiled tech company to take a stand against the ban. Netflix’s chief executive, Reed Hastings, released a statement on Facebook' 'Trump’s actions are hurting Netflix employees around the world, and are so un-American it pains us all. Worse, these actions will make America less safe (through hatred and loss of allies) rather than more safe.'
Uber also came under fire after they reportedly lowered their prices during a one-hour protest by yellow cab drivers to show support for the Muslim ban. Uber tweeted that surge-pricing - when higher fares during busy times - had been switched off near JFK. #DeleteUber started to trend, as people screen grab themselves deleted the popular taxi-app for the lack of support for the protest. Uber later released a statement, stating they: “wanted people to know they could use Uber to get to and from JFK at normal prices.”
They have since released a statement saying they will compensate drivers impacted by the ban pro bono for the next 3 months.
Like this? You might also be interested in…
These Stories About Uber Might Make You Want To Think Twice About Travelling Alone
Follow Alyss on Instagram @alyssbowen
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.