The No Kings movement, a coalition behind nationwide pro-democracy protests that have drawn millions of Americans to the streets in recent years, found its Instagram account temporarily shut down during its latest demonstration on Saturday - specifically, while protests focused on increasing early voter turnout were underway. The account went dark for several hours, which is the kind of thing that sparks censorship fears even when the explanation turns out to be a robot having a bad day.

Meta apologized on Saturday and blamed the suspension on an automated action triggered "when accounts post, share or comment at very high frequencies." Meta spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X: "Unfortunately, that automated action was clearly taken in error. Everything is now working as it should and we sincerely apologize." Translation: the algorithm saw a lot of enthusiasm and assumed it was spam, because apparently nothing says "suspicious behavior" like civic engagement.

The No Kings Coalition was not entirely mollified. "We have regained access to our accounts, but Meta still owes us an explanation," the group posted on its Instagram page on Sunday. "Restricting communications about voting in the middle of an election is unacceptable." Organizers remained skeptical of the high-frequency defense, noting that members "posted only a handful of times and livestreamed to thousands" - which, by Meta's own logic, is apparently enough to trip the wire.

Senator Bernie Sanders weighed in on Sunday on X, saying that "billionaire ownership of the media" had resulted in the suspension of the No Kings account. Because if there's one thing a billionaire-owned platform loves, it's an automated error that conveniently targets voter turnout messaging.

Despite the technical blip, hundreds of planned events continued. At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, a band played for a few hundred people in caps and coats, many dancing and holding signs reading "VOTE EARLY" and "HANDS OFF MY VOTE!" In Atlanta, city councilman Michael Julian Bond told the crowd: "The constitution gives you one power, right? That is the power to vote. Are you gonna use that power?" On the streets of downtown Los Angeles, protesters carried umbrellas against the sweltering heat while a band trailed behind on a rolling stage, per the New York Times; the crowds cheered calls for abolishing ICE and passing California's billionaire tax.

The No Kings movement began last summer in response to a broad set of concerns about federal layoffs, immigration enforcement and foreign wars. The demonstrations have continued to tackle a wide range of issues and typically lean into anti-Trump fervor. This year's focus on voting ahead of the midterm elections is partly due to the supreme court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act, as well as fears about Trump once again sowing chaos by baselessly calling election results into question.

No Kings organizers said they planned to recruit volunteers at Saturday's events to mobilize in case of "election sabotage," Leah Greenberg, a co-executive director of Indivisible, a progressive group that helps organize No Kings events, previously told the Guardian. So the movement is preparing for the worst while Meta's automation prepares for... high-frequency posting, apparently.