Airbnb Cancels Accounts Linked to White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville

Thousands of people are expected to descend on Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday to participate in, or protest against, a white nationalist rally.

But some of the rally’s participants may have trouble finding a place to stay — or agreeing with the city on a place where they can lawfully gather.

Airbnb has canceled a number of accounts and bookings associated with the Unite the Right Free Speech Rally, which “seeks to affirm the right of Southerners and white people to organize for their interests,” according to an event description on Facebook.

Airbnb confirmed that it had canceled the accounts of some users who were involved with the event, citing the company’s request that its users sign a commitment to “accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age.”

A thread on The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi news website, that showed that some of the site’s users had planned their stays on Airbnb — and were preparing to hold parties at their rentals after the event — was flagged to the company, prompting an investigation.

An Airbnb spokesman said the company did not have exact numbers on how many bookings were canceled and how many accounts were removed.