Left-wing activist Shaun King. Photo: Roman Iwasiwka/Flickr.
Prominent left-wing and anti-Israel activist Shaun King had his Instagram account blocked on Monday after repeatedly posting pro-Hamas content on the social media application as well as posts criticizing Israel’s military campaign against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
The well-known Black Lives Matter activist, who had 6 million followers on the Meta-owned app, posted a video message on a friend’s Instagram account about being banned. In the clip, he also accused Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza during its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists controlling the region, a military campaign that was launched in response to the horrific Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, where 1,400 civilians were killed and 240 others were kidnapped.
“I’ve been through hard times. This is not hard times. Hard times is Gaza right now,” said King, 44, in the video. He further claimed that Meta, Instagram and Facebook — another social media platform owned by Meta — “have decided to stand in the way of those of us fighting for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians.” King’s Facebook account remains active as of Monday and he continues to repost messages critical of Israel on X/Twitter.
The activist added that he would like to get his Instagram account back “but not if that means compromising my values, speaking up for Palestinians.” He also said he is speaking with “attorneys and other people involved” about being booted from Instagram.
In the caption for the video, King said he is “frustrated” about being banned “for fighting for Palestine” and continued to rail against Israel for allegedly carrying out “genocide and the war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.” He added, “You can NEVER mince words about genocide. You can never mince words about war crimes.”
King has repeatedly bashed Israel for its military actions after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and even shared Hamas propaganda videos claiming that the hostages were being treated kindly. He also falsely claimed in late October that he played a part in the release of Natalie Raanan, 17, and her mother, Judith Tai Raanan, two Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 and held in captivity in the Gaza Strip for nearly two weeks before being released.
“First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying!” Raanan family members wrote in a statement. “Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent.”
In late November, King shared on social media a video of a Hamas shooting attack targeting Israeli civilians in Jerusalem but the caption claimed that the video showed Israelis shooting Palestinians in the West Bank. The video remains on his X account as of Monday, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Even before the start of the Israel-Hamas war, King has repeatedly promoted hatred towards and violence against Israel, while also making offensive comments targeting the Jewish community. He has accused Israel of apartheid; claimed on social media that the Holocaust is only considered important because its victims were Europeans; defended Nation of Islam leader and notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan; and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Also on Monday, pro-Palestinian activist Mohammed el-Kurd — who has promoted antisemitism, anti-Zionism and antisemitic tropes about Israel — had his X account removed.
The post Anti-Israel Social Justice Activist Shaun King Gets Banned From Instagram first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
