Brunei-Owned Hotels Have Deleted Their Social Media Accounts

In the wake of Brunei implementing laws that would institute punishments like lashings and stoning to death for queer sexual acts, hotels owned by the Sultan of the country have deleted their social media accounts

Over the past few days, celebrities have come out strongly against Brunei's new penal code that went into effect yesterday. The new set of laws could see those convicted of being a lesbian given 100 lashes and those convicted of sodomy could be stoned to death. Last Thursday, George Clooney slammed the legislation in an op-ed and called for an immediate boycott.

"Let's be clear, every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery," he wrote in Deadline. Others like Bobby Berk, Sir Elton John, and Ellen Degeneres publicly signed on to the boycott with Degeneres sharing a graphic listing the Dorchester Collection's hotels. On Monday, Clooney published a follow up, responding to a few criticisms of the boycott.

"It is also true that the Sultan won't be terribly hurt by a boycott, but the scores of companies he funnels money through will distance themselves," he wrote. "That's what a boycott does."

Amidst the criticism online, a number of the hotels have removed themselves from social platforms.

The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, The Dorchester in London, and Le Meurice in Paris are amongst the hotels that all deleted their Twitter accounts. 8 of the 10 properties removed their Twitter accounts on Wednesday.

Hotel Le Meurice in Paris and Hotel Eden in Rome have made their Instagram accounts private.

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