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WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Washington Heights on Saturday afternoon as part of the national No Kings day of protest. As shouts of “Abolish ICE” and “F@#k Trump” rang out in real life, their digital voice was being muzzled on Instagram.
Meta, the giant tech and communications company that owns the ubiquitous digital platform, suspended the No Kings account during the height of the nationwide protests.
Ezra Levin, the co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive advocacy organization Indivisible, and a prominent organizer behind the nationwide No Kings protest movement posted on his Blue Sky account that he had been locked out of the account for four hours during the height of 3,000 get out the vote protests across the United States.
When reached by email Saturday afternoon, Meta pointed Uptown Voices to a statement by Andy Stone, vice president of communications at Meta Platforms, on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account. In the statement Stone said that an “automated action was clearly taken in error.”
Whether in error or by design, the suspension of the No Kings IG account raised eyebrows and conspiracy theories.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, strategist and host of UNDISTRACTED, drew attention to the suspension with an Instagram Reel. She highlighted the suspicious timing of the suspension and reactivation during a critical drive to encourage voting early ahead of the midterm elections.
When news outlets fail to hold platforms to account, conspiracies fill the void.
"Errors—like the one Meta says led to the No Kings Instagram account getting suspended last weekend—are a predictable consequence of automated moderation. Users are understandably upset and suspicious about a suspension like this right now,” Corynne McSherry, Legal Director at Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) told Uptown Voices in a statement on Monday.
“Platforms can and must do more to help ensure that highly automated systems operate in ways that respect human rights, minimize predictable harms, and provide meaningful accountability when they fail. Meta and other companies should take accountability and make changes to restore the trust of their users,” she wrote.
“Additionally, such incidents point to a larger issue: Too much of our online speech depends on the actions of too few tech companies."
Uptown Protest Angry but Safe
Saturday’s march culminated at Mitchell Park in 167th Street between Broadway and St. Nicholas. There, Drializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic candidate to Represent District 13 in Congress, spoke to the crowd and to Uptown Voices about her plans to dismantle ICE.
While the assembled protesters represented a culturally diverse swath of Washington Heights, many of them were older. There wasn’t a large turnout of young protesters who assembled last week after an ICE agent shot Oscar Belgal while he was picking up his daughter from school in Marble Hill. Belgal’s five-year-old son witnessed the shooting from the backseat of the car.
During her speech, Chevalier said that Belgal was still in the hospital and he was losing his hearing due to his injuries. She also said that Belgal’s son has not spoken due to the trauma he experienced during the incident.
The Uptown march was organized by Inwood Indivisible and Reso (Resistencia y Solidaridad), an immigrant rights group, according to Laura Daigen-Ayala, a spokesperson for Inwood Indivisible’s Saturday action. Unlike other No Kings protests - which are simply intended to get out the early vote - this one was focused on the Trump administration’s actions against immigrant communities like ours here in The Heights.
Signs held by protesters expressed disdain for the Trump administration and ICE, while the atmosphere was both angry and celebratory. Protesters were both happy to be in the streets to make their voices heard and furious at the actions of ICE in our community. Police were on site, helping the crowd of hundreds navigate the streets.
The protest paused its march on 181st Street in front of Target. Protesters joined a chorus of elected leaders and immigrant rights organizations calling for neighbors to boycott the store because, according to them, the Minnesota-based retailer was complicit in the ICE operation in Marble Hill since officers staged their mission in the company’s parking lot located on 225th street.
Other than Uptown Voices, our partner Uptown Collective, and Telemundo, there was little media presence at the march. A right-wing social media agitator, flanked by her bodyguards was also in attendance. She was called out by Fred Arcoleo, one of the protesters who took to the mic after the march concluded at Mitchell Park. For a brief moment tensions in the crowd rose, but there was no violence due to the group’s presence.
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Uptown Voices is a joint venture of the Uptown Collective and Livin’ Americana.
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Versión en español
Mientras los manifestantes marchaban, Meta suspendió la cuenta principal de No Kings en Instagram
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Cientos de manifestantes marcharon por las calles de Washington Heights el sábado por la tarde como parte de la jornada nacional de protesta No Kings. Mientras los gritos de “Abolish ICE” y “F@#k Trump” resonaban en la vida real, su voz digital estaba siendo silenciada en Instagram.
Meta, el gigante tecnológico y de comunicaciones dueño de la omnipresente plataforma digital, suspendió la cuenta de No Kings durante el punto álgido de las protestas en todo el país.
Ezra Levin, cofundador y codirector ejecutivo de la organización progresista Indivisible y un destacado organizador del movimiento nacional de protesta No Kings, publicó en su cuenta de Bluesky que estuvo bloqueado de la cuenta durante cuatro horas en pleno auge de las 3,000 protestas para fomentar el voto en todo Estados Unidos.
Al ser contactada por correo electrónico esta tarde, Meta remitió a Uptown Voices a una declaración de Andy Stone, vicepresidente de comunicaciones de Meta Platforms, en su cuenta personal de X (antes Twitter). En la declaración, Stone dijo que una “acción automatizada se tomó claramente por error”.
Ya fuera por error o a propósito, la suspensión de la cuenta de No Kings en Instagram levantó sospechas y teorías conspirativas.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, estratega y presentadora de UNDISTRACTED, llamó la atención sobre la suspensión con un Reel de Instagram. Destacó el momento sospechoso de la suspensión y la reactivación durante una campaña crucial para animar a votar temprano de cara a las elecciones de medio mandato.
Cuando los medios no exigen cuentas a las plataformas, las conspiraciones llenan el vacío.
Protesta en Uptown: enojada, pero pacífica
La marcha del sábado terminó en Mitchell Park, en la calle 167 entre Broadway y St. Nicholas. Allí, Drializa Avila Chevalier, la candidata demócrata al Distrito 13 del Congreso, habló ante la multitud y con Uptown Voices sobre sus planes para desmantelar ICE.
Aunque los manifestantes reunidos representaban a un sector culturalmente diverso de Washington Heights, muchos eran personas mayores. No hubo una gran afluencia de jóvenes como la que se reunió la semana pasada después de que un agente de ICE disparara a Oscar Belgal mientras recogía a su hija de la escuela en Marble Hill. El hijo de cinco años de Belgal presenció el tiroteo desde el asiento trasero del auto.
Durante su discurso, Chevalier dijo que Belgal seguía en el hospital y estaba perdiendo la audición debido a sus heridas. También dijo que el hijo de Belgal no ha vuelto a hablar a causa del trauma que vivió durante el incidente.
La marcha de Uptown fue organizada por Inwood Indivisible y Reso (Resistencia y Solidaridad), un grupo de defensa de los derechos de los inmigrantes, según Laura Daigen-Ayala, vocera de la acción del sábado de Inwood Indivisible. A diferencia de otras protestas de No Kings, que buscan simplemente promover el voto anticipado, esta se centró en las acciones del gobierno de Trump contra comunidades inmigrantes como la nuestra aquí en The Heights.
Los carteles de los manifestantes expresaban su desprecio por el gobierno de Trump y por ICE, y el ambiente era a la vez de enojo y de celebración. Los manifestantes estaban contentos de estar en las calles para hacer oír su voz y furiosos por las acciones de ICE en nuestra comunidad. La policía estuvo presente y ayudó a la multitud de cientos de personas a transitar por las calles.
La protesta hizo una pausa en la calle 181 frente a Target. Los manifestantes se sumaron a un coro de líderes electos y organizaciones de derechos de los inmigrantes que piden a los vecinos boicotear la tienda porque, según ellos, la cadena con sede en Minnesota fue cómplice de la operación de ICE en Marble Hill, ya que los agentes prepararon su misión en el estacionamiento de la empresa en la calle 225.
Aparte de Telemundo, Uptown Voices y nuestro socio Uptown Collective, hubo poca presencia de medios en la marcha. Una agitadora de derecha en las redes sociales, acompañada de sus guardaespaldas, también estuvo presente. Fred Arcoleo, uno de los manifestantes que tomaron el micrófono tras concluir la marcha en Mitchell Park, la confrontó. Por un breve momento aumentó la tensión entre la multitud, pero no hubo violencia gracias a la presencia del grupo.
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