Instagram Lifts Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Account Suspension

Meta has restored the Instagram account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he becomes a candidate running in the 2024 US presidential election. The social media platform removed his account in 2021 for repeatedly sharing false information about COVID-19.

Instagram Lifts Account Suspension of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Instagram lifted Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s account suspension on Sunday, which returned with a verified status and maintained its 760,000 followers. According to Reuters, Kennedy was suspended posting false claims about COVID-19, violating the platform's pandemic policies.

​​Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement sent to The Washington Post: "As he is now an active candidate for president of the United States, we have restored access to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s Instagram account."

The decision follows Kennedy's announcement in April that he plans to run for president. The anti-vaccine activist became the second Democratic candidate to challenge President Joe Biden for the 2024 nomination, next to self-help author Marianne Williamson.

In 2022, Instagram also took down the Children's Health Defense (CHD), a nonprofit group led by Kennedy, for allegedly violating its guidelines by spreading medical misinformation. Even Facebook removed the account of CHD after a 30-day ban by the social network.

CHD reportedly gained popularity on both social media platforms for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccines during the pandemic. In 2021, Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube also banned channels associated with Kennedy and other prominent anti-vaccine activists.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Kennedy said that Instagram has yet to reinstate his account.

"To silence a major political candidate is profoundly undemocratic. Social media is the modern equivalent of the town square. How can democracy function if only some candidates have access to it?" Kennedy noted at the time.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Invited by Twitter CEO Elon Musk

The Washington Post reported that Twitter owner Elon Musk replied to one of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s tweets, inviting him to participate in an audio discussion on the platform next week, which he agreed on. The two are set to speak on Monday afternoon.

It follows a recently hosted event by Musk with Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who announced his candidacy on the platform. On Sunday, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey expressed his support for Kennedy's candidacy, saying he can and will defeat former president Donald Trump and DeSantis in the upcoming presidential election.

Kennedy announced his candidacy for the presidency in Boston Park Plaza hotel. He picked Boston due to his family's deep political roots in the city.

According to The New York Times, the event was highlighted with his words and presented images, with reminiscences of his father, US attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, the late president John F. Kennedy.

The two-hour event reflected his father's 1968 campaign and death and spoke about his career as a lawyer specializing in the environment for decades.

Some of Kennedy's relatives, including his sister, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, his brother, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and his niece Maeve Kennedy McKean, are known for criticizing his previous statements regarding vaccines, saying he spread dangerous "misinformation."

In a statement, his younger sister, Kerry Kennedy, said: "I love my brother Bobby, but I do not share or endorse his opinions on many issues, including the Covid pandemic, vaccinations and the role of social media platforms in policing false information."