Kennedy Campaign Alleges Election Interference By Facebook & Instagram; Statement From PAC

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Brooklyn last Wednesday. Photo by Jason Schott.

Independent Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign, on Monday, alleged that Facebook and Instagram have engaged in election interference by censoring a biographical film on his life and career. Mr. Kennedy said this "goes beyond restricting freedom of expression on issues and ideas."

Who Is Bobby Kennedy? is a 30-minute biographical film, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, that was released by a PAC supporting his campaign. It centers on RFK Jr's life, his environmental activist, and why he's running for President.

It has been viewed over six million times across various platforms. However, viewers who attempted to share the film on Facebook and Instagram were unable to upload the video, and the parent company, Meta, gave inconsistent reasons for taking this action.

Kennedy said in a statement, "If supporters of all candidates do not have equal access to the digital public square, then we have a democracy in name only. This goes beyond restricting freedom of expression on issues and ideas. Meta is censoring a biographical film about a major candidate in an election year. How can voters make an informed choice if they are denied basic information about a candidate's life?

"We are looking into the legal implications of Meta's actions and whether we have grounds for a lawsuit. But we are hoping that this egregious violation of the spirit - if not the letter - of the principle of free speech will meet with condemnation in the court of public opinion."

Users posted screenshots documenting censorship on Facebook and Instagram, and the campaign has collected them. They shared some samples with the press, which can be viewed below:

Provided by the Kennedy campaign.

Provided by the Kennedy campaign.

Provided by the Kennedy campaign.

Provided by the Kennedy campaign.

Provided by the Kennedy campaign.

The campaign said of the censorship in the press release, "Some were told the video was spam or that the link went to a malicious website, or that it contained 'graphic and violent content,' while others were told it violated community standards. And some simply got an error message saying 'upload failed.'...

"Not only were users prevented from posting the video, but in many cases Meta suspended their accounts for two or six days."

Meta went so far as to remove comments referring to the removal of their posts.

Once these tactics drew bad publicity, Meta switched gears and allowed uploads, but algorithmically suppressed the video, such as having the video get zero views despite being posted by a user with thousands of followers.

To view Who is Bobby Kennedy? on YouTube, please click here.

It must be noted that the Republicans alleged voter interference by Meta and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, during the 2020 presidential campaign, so with this censorship of Kennedy, guess they have tipped off who they fear most now this time around.

AMERICAN VALUES PAC TO SUE META: The American Values PAC, the producer of the biographic video, announced on Monday evening that they will be suing Meta in this post on X (@AmValues2024):

WE ARE SUING META

We at American Values 2024 are taking legal action against Meta for censoring our film, "Who is Bobby Kennedy?".

Our documentary #WhoIsBobbyKennedy, shedding light on RFK Jr.'s true persona and his campaign to become the next president of the United States, is being censored by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, under dubious claims of violating "community guidelines".

Our legal complaint includes this statement: "In violation of the First Amendment, of civil rights laws dating back to the Civil War, and of the American people's fundamental right to a presidential election decided by voters, not by trillion-dollar corporations, Meta Platforms is brazenly censoring speech supportive of Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr."

Despite being shadow-banned and mislabeled as misinformation, the film triumphs on X, with over 25 million views, showcasing RFK Jr.'s fight against environmental corruption and misguided political narratives.

As we stand at the crossroads of democracy and oligarchy, our lawsuit challenges the giants of Silicon Valley to uphold the sanctity of political discourse. This isn't just about one film; it's a fight for the very soul of our public square.

We will not let corporate censorship dictate the future of American democracy.

"When social media companies censor a presidential candidate, the public can't learn what that candidate actually believes and what policies they would pursue if elected. We are left with the propaganda and lies from the most powerful and most corrupt groups and individuals. This the hallmark of an oligarchy - not a democracy." - Tony Lyons, co-founder of AV 24