#DeleteUber: Users angry at Trump Muslim ban scrap app

Hundreds of Uber users have taken screenshots of themselves deleting the ride-hailing app, accusing it of profiting as New York taxi drivers held a strike against President Donald Trump’s ban on Muslim travellers and refugees.

The hashtag #DeleteUber trended worldwide on Sunday as users also accused the company’s CEO of collaborating with the new US president.

Drivers affiliated with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance had refused to pick up airport passengers between 6pm and 7pm local time on Saturday as protesters rallied against Trump’s discriminatory ban inside John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) .

Hundreds gathered at the airport’s Terminal Four arrivals section holding placards and chanting: “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” 

Users said Uber continued to service rides to and from JFK, while taxi drivers held the strike in solodarity against Trump’s order banning refugees and travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

However, while Uber automatically charges more for rides when demand is high, the company switched this function off during the one-hour taxi strike.

The city’s taxi drivers, many of whom are immigrants or have roots in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, had urged Uber to join their boycott.

#deleteUber Here's the NY Taxi Workers Alliance Statement on the refugee ban. @Uber is still trying to go to JFK anyway pic.twitter.com/qQAkPm2r9s

— Eri66012840 (bot) (@EricRMurphy) January 29, 2017

Uber has also faced criticism after CEO Travis Kalanick joined Trump’s business advisory council, a group comprising the leaders of a variety of major US corporations.

Several protesters barricaded the front of Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco on Friday over Kalanick’s ties to Trump.

Twitter and Facebook users began taking screenshots of themselves deleting their Uber accounts, including messages they were sending to the company.

https://twitter.com/ziwe/status/825543287100555264
https://twitter.com/BoobsRadley/status/825528530180067328

I'm not usually one for hashtagtivism, but… #DeleteUber. pic.twitter.com/IEseBIpcCO

— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) January 29, 2017

https://twitter.com/flwrwrk/status/825546757882933248

Earlier on Saturday, Kalanick said that the company would compensate drivers from the seven countries who might not be able to return to the US for three months or more.

In a statement, Kalanick said the company knew of about a dozen affected employees.

“This ban will impact many innocent people – an issue that I will raise this coming Friday when I go to Washington for President Trump’s first business advisory group meeting,” said Kalanick.