Controversial activist Shaun King claimed Instagram removed his profile on Monday because of his pro-Palestinian posts.
King, an anti-racist activist and writer with a string of failed projects behind him, posted a video on a friend’s Instagram account Sunday thanking his 6 million followers for their support since his profile was taken down.
“I’m grateful, I’m safe, and I’ve been through much harder times than being banned from Instagram,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
King then pivoted to criticism of Meta, saying the company had “decided to stand in the way of those of us who are fighting for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians.”
“Frustrated that Instagram has banned me for fighting for Palestine, and speaking up for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians, but I refuse to betray my values and principles by staying silent about this genocide and the war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank,” he said in the caption.
The activist added in the video that he had “attorneys and other people involved” and would like to return to the platform, but “not if that means compromising my values speaking up for Palestinians.”
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast, but a spokesperson told the New York Post that King’s account was disabled due to “multiple instances of praise for designated entities in violation of our policies.” His Facebook profile remains active.
The international nonprofit Human Rights Watch recently criticized Meta for what it called “systemic censorship” of content related to the Israel-Gaza war, saying the social media giant displayed a “pattern of undue removal and suppression of protected speech including peaceful expression in support of Palestine and public debate about Palestinian human rights.” The nonprofit named the suspension or removal of accounts as one of Meta’s censorship tools.
King, who came to prominence as a commentator during the Black Lives Matter movement, previously started and then suddenly shuttered a social justice organization called Justice Together. He then crowdfunded a website called The North Star, a proposed reboot of an old abolitionist newspaper, which The Daily Beast previously reported failed to meet its promises to donors.
Responses in the comments under King’s video were mixed. Some users called for an Instagram boycott, while others questioned King’s intentions.
“He is a grifter he needs to stay off these apps,” one user wrote.
