Airbnb Announces Plans to House Afghan Refugees
Jose Nino
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Count Airbnb as a patron of the mass resettlement of Afghan refugees.
Brian Chesky, the Co-founder, CEO, and Head of Community at Airbnb, announced on August 24, 2021 that the lodging company would start housing 20,000 Afghan refugees around the world.
Chesky tweeted, “Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.”
The refugees will be given shelter on properties listed on Airbnb’s platform and Airbnb will assume the funding of their stays. Although Airbnb did not give out specifics to how much the company intends to spend on refugee housing or the duration of the refugee’s stay.
As of August 23, 2021, the US government alleges to have evacuated approximately 48,000 people from Afghanistan after the Biden administration went through a disjointed withdrawal.
The principal point of departure is the Kabul airport. The newly victorious Taliban government has established an airlift deadline of August 31.
“The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time,” proclaimed Chesky. “We feel a responsibility to step up.”
Chesky continued: “I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There’s no time to waste.”
Chesky called on Airbnb hosts to “reach out” to him if they want to provide lodging to a refugee family and vowed to bring them in touch with relevant parties at the company.
American companies are in post-national mode. For them, it’s all about quick and easy profits and promoting policies that don’t benefit Americans. Airbnb already has a track record of deplatforming dissident right voices like Faith Goldy and Laura Loomer. These companies play an integral role in America’s non-stop consumption based economy and also function as privatized arms of the managerial state insofar as they modify people’s behavior through censorship and denial of services.
National populists would do well to boycott Airbnb and only use lodging services at hotels that stay politically neutral or local hostels that don’t engage in virtue signaling.
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