Instagram has reinstated the personal account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and writer who has promoted vaccine safety, who announced his bid for the 2024 Democratic primary earlier this year.
Kennedy’s personal account was permanently removed from Instagram in 2021 due to multiple accusations that he was posting COVID-19 misinformation on the platform. Instagram stated that the account was removed for sharing “debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines.”
According to Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Kennedy’s personal account will be restored, but his organization’s account will remain suspended.
Kennedy’s vaccine safety nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, had its account suspended from Instagram and Facebook last year for disputing information about COVID-19 that was distributed by the government.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, stated, “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.”
After Kennedy, who is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, recently tweeted about his presidential campaign’s inability to set up an Instagram account the Meta spokesperson said that this was an error and the platform quickly resolved the issue.
Kennedy expressed his concerns about the incident, tweeting, “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?”
In response to Kennedy’s tweet, Twitter owner Elon Musk offered him an opportunity to engage in a Twitter Spaces livestream event, which is scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Musk had previously held a similar event with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also a presidential hopeful, to announce the governor’s campaign. However, the launch experienced technical difficulties.
Kennedy began his career as an assistant district attorney in New York City.
In 1984, he joined Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 1986, two non-profits focused on environmental protection.
He became an adjunct professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law in 1986. In 1987, he founded the Pace Law School’s Environmental Litigation Clinic, where he held the post of supervising attorney and co-director until 2017.
He founded the non-profit environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance in 1999, serving as the president of its board.