Instagram reinstates Robert F Kennedy Jr amid presidential bid launch

Meta Platform's Instagram on Sunday lifted its suspension against the account of Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of the late president John F Kennedy, The Washington Post reported.

Kennedy, who is making a long shot bid to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination, was removed from the photo-sharing platform in 2021 for reportedly sharing debunked claims about Covid-19 in violation of its policies on the pandemic.

"As he is now an active candidate for president of the United States, we have restored access to Robert F Kennedy, Jr's Instagram account," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement, according to the newspaper.

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On Thursday, Kennedy in a series of tweets said that Instagram had still not reinstated his account and that "to silence a major political candidate is profoundly undemocratic."

In 2019, Kennedy's relatives, including Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P Kennedy II, and Maeve Kennedy McKean - wrote a Politico op-ed, criticising his previous statements on vaccines as "misinformation."

In September 2021, Alphabet Inc's YouTube also banned channels associated with Robert F Kennedy Jr and other prominent anti-vaccine activists Joseph Mercola.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.