Celebrities Join the #DeleteUber Movement
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from coming to the United States. Almost immediately, protesters gathered at airports. In response, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance stopped working for an hour at New York’s JFK Airport in solidarity with the protesters. Rideshare service Uber, however, decided to take advantage of the situation. It tweeted that it was turning off surge pricing at JFK, going against the strike and protest. Soon enough, the hashtag Delete Uber began to trend, and celebrities quickly took part in it.
#ByeUber I can not support a company that backs hate. Soooooooo #ByeBitch deleting my account… https://t.co/Wfvu8PGm3e
— Taraji P. Henson (@TherealTaraji) January 29, 2017
Canceling #Uber like…. #bye #nomuslimban #teamfreedomoverfear #teamstopdefendinghate… https://t.co/ka5kXcGiuQ
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) January 29, 2017
Went ahead and did that but don't forget to support the Taxi Workers' Alliance as well. https://t.co/XxzbdEUAYz #deleteuber pic.twitter.com/bJlG2BvD8V
— jesse Williams. (@iJesseWilliams) January 29, 2017
When you go from living with a boyfriend to never speaking to him again pic.twitter.com/s5n2kGyG6r
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) January 29, 2017
Anti-Uber sentiments were strengthened by the fact that the company’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, had agreed to serve on Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. Perhaps in response to the #DeleteUber trend, Kalanick issued a statement on Saturday opposing Trump’s travel ban. The company also said it will identify drivers impacted by the ban and “compensate them pro bono” for the next three months.
Bruce Springsteen also commented on President Trump’s Muslim ban:
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