‘No Kings’ Instagram Shut Down during Protests; Organisers Demand Explanation despite Apology
Amid pro-democracy protests across the United States, the Instagram account of the ‘No Kings’ movement was shut down for several hours. As the account went dark during Saturday’s latest programme, fears of censorship spread, and the organisers say Meta still owes them an explanation.
Leaders of the coalition behind the nationwide protests, which have brought millions of Americans onto the streets in recent years, expressed disappointment at the incident. The main aim of Saturday’s protests was to increase participation in early voting; right during that programme, the movement’s account was shut down for several hours.
Meta apologised on Saturday itself and said the account had been temporarily suspended because of an automated action — the automated system that kicks in when an account posts, shares or comments too frequently.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on social media platform X, ‘Unfortunately, that automated action was clearly taken in error. Everything is now running as it should be, and we sincerely apologise.’
But the organisers are not satisfied with that statement. The No Kings coalition wrote on its Instagram page on Sunday, ‘We have got access to our accounts back, but Meta still owes us an explanation. Restricting communication about voting in the middle of an election is unacceptable.’
The organisers also cast doubt on Meta’s ‘posting too frequently’ explanation. According to them, members had ‘posted only a handful of times and livestreamed to thousands of people’ — that is, they claim, there was no excessive activity of the sort that would trigger the automated system.
The matter has also drawn reactions in political circles. Senator Bernie Sanders expressed concern on X on Sunday, saying the No Kings account had been suspended as a result of billionaire ownership of the media.
Despite this technical glitch, Saturday’s hundreds of planned programmes remained under way. A band performed music at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, and hundreds of people wearing hats and coats were dancing there; many held placards reading ‘Vote Early’ and ‘Hands Off My Vote’.
In Atlanta, city council member Michael Julian Bond told the assembled crowd, ‘The Constitution gives you a power, right? That is the power to vote. Will you use that power?’
In downtown Los Angeles, demonstrators marched holding umbrellas to escape the intense heat, with a band behind them on a moving stage; the crowd cheered at calls to abolish ICE and to pass California’s billionaire tax.
The No Kings movement began last summer — in response to concerns over issues including federal layoffs, immigration enforcement and wars abroad. Since then the protests have continued over various issues and have generally carried a strong anti-Trump mood.
Behind this year’s focus on voting ahead of the midterm elections lies the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act, along with the fear that Trump might once again baselessly question election results and spread chaos.
The organisers said Saturday’s programmes also included plans to recruit volunteers to respond if there was ‘election sabotage’ — Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of the progressive organisation Indivisible, which helps organise No Kings, had said this beforehand. It now remains to be seen whether Meta gives the full explanation the organisers are demanding, and how far the debate goes over such automated actions by social platforms during the election season.
