26/12/2023–|Last updated: 12/26/202312:34 AM (Mecca time)
The American company “Meta” banned the account of the influential American left-wing activist writer Shaun King on the “Instagram” platform due to his pro-Palestine posts and his description of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip as “genocide.”
On Monday afternoon, a link to a page appeared as follows: “Sorry, this page is not available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”
King appeared in a video clip on his Facebook account, saying, “My sources within Meta told me that they are tracking my IP address and will delete anything I say anywhere. Meanwhile, I feel frustrated because Instagram blocked me because of the struggle.” For the sake of Palestine, and to speak out for human rights and dignity for Palestinians, but I refuse to betray my values and principles by remaining silent in the face of this genocide and war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.”
He added, “The TikTok platform permanently banned my account even though I do not use it. My Instagram account was also subjected to multiple restrictions. I went through much more difficult times than I was banned on Instagram. Hard times are in Gaza now.”
He added, “It is clear that (Facebook) and (Instagram) have decided to stand in the way of those who fight for human rights and dignity for Palestinians. I will not tolerate that. I will continue the struggle everywhere I can.”
He continued, “You can never mince words about genocide. You can never mince words about war crimes. You must speak truth to power in every way you know how.”
The American activist addressed his followers, saying, “Now I fear that (Meta) will restrict the Palestinians more than it does. Please promise me to make a greater effort for Palestine than ever before. I will do everything possible to return to (Instagram). But whatever the case may be.” I will never alone save the Palestinians or the oppressed around the world. I love you all.”
King had previously complained that he and his family were exposed to death threats on an almost daily basis, without ruling out that the Tel Aviv government was behind the threats, but he added, “But we are safe.”
King said, “The Israeli army is spreading misleading information about me, and posted a video in which it thanked me for making cash donations to it even though I never did so. This misinformation reflects the workings of the Israeli government.”
Human rights activists circulated pictures showing the Instagram platform blocking Shaun King’s account, which was followed by more than 6 million people, and King had used it since October 7, 2023, to publish pictures, clips, and solidarity initiatives with the Palestinians.
The Instagram account of Shaun King, the largest foreign defender of the Palestinians, has been disabled. They doubted his intentions and incited him, and I have been following him for many years. He defended many issues, especially BLM in America. He had a difficult childhood and almost died because of hatred. He is now working on a major project to drag the entity and hold it legally accountable for the crimes. pic.twitter.com/YWuiyQ5jl3
— the boudoir. (نورة) 🔻 (@theboudoir) December 25, 2023
Activists on social media considered Instagram’s ban on the accounts of influencers and activists part of the American war of intimidation.
Shaun King’s Instagram was shut down pic.twitter.com/lKQnaw9ggS
– Khaled Beydoun (@KhaledBeydoun) December 25, 2023
American wrestler Jake Shields said in a blog post on “X”, “I criticized Shawn King several times, but I never asked to silence him, by banning him. They made it clear that the conspiracy theories about who controls America are true.”
Shaun King had almost 6 million followers on instagram and his account was pulled for supporting Palestine 🇵🇸
I’ve been critical of Shaun king many times but never called to silence him
They made it clear that the conspiracy theories about who controls America are true pic.twitter.com/cktOCF4eiL
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) December 25, 2023
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, bloggers have complained on social media platforms about restrictions and restrictions on publishing content related to Palestine and blocking its access to social media users.
On November 29, 2023, activists around the world launched the “We Will Not Be Silenced” campaign to protest the ban on content supporting…Palestine And narrowing its reach across social media platforms, especially on Facebook and Instagram.
The campaign, which was launched to coincide with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and is still ongoing, called on activists around the world to participate in marking “#wewontbesilenced” (We will not be silenced).
Who is Shaun King?
Jeffrey Sean King was born on September 17, 1979, in Franklin County, in the US state of Kentucky. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he majored in history, and in 1999 he was elected president of the Student Union.
After graduation, King worked as a high school civics teacher for about a year and then worked in Atlanta’s juvenile justice system, before becoming a pastor at Total Grace Christian Center in DeKalb County, Georgia.
In 2008, King founded a church in Atlanta called Courageous Church, which he led for 4 years, where he used social media to recruit new members and was known as the “Facebook Pastor.”
King was a regular columnist for Daily Kos, the New York Daily News, and The Young Turks, and in August 2015 he founded the organization Justice Together, before dissolving it in 2016. In 2018, he co-founded the organization “True justice.”
King launched the “North Star” website, and in 2020 he founded the non-profit organization “Popular Law Project,” which in its first year raised more than $6.5 million.
On the political level, King announced his departure from the Democratic Party following the 2016 presidential elections, but he returned to express his support and pride in the selection of Kamala Harris as a candidate for the position of US Vice President in the 2020 elections.
Source : Al Jazeera + Websites + social media sites