The account behind the No Kings protests went dark for several hours on Saturday, right as crowds were gathering nationwide to push early voter turnout ahead of the midterm elections.

Meta apologized the same day, attributing the suspension to an automated action that is triggered "when accounts post, share or comment at very high frequencies." Spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X: "Unfortunately, that automated action was clearly taken in error." He added that everything was working as it should again.

Coalition and organizers dispute the explanation

The No Kings Coalition posted on Instagram on Sunday: "We have regained access to our accounts, but Meta still owes us an explanation." The group called voting-related restrictions during an election unacceptable.

Organizers pushed back on the high-frequency explanation, saying that:

• •members had posted only a handful of times
• •they had livestreamed to thousands of viewers

Sanders blames billionaire media ownership

Senator Bernie Sanders said on X on Sunday that "billionaire ownership of the media" had resulted in the suspension of the No Kings account.

The protests continued regardless

The suspension did not slow Saturday's events. Hundreds of planned events went ahead, and at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington a band played for a few hundred people holding signs including "VOTE EARLY" and "HANDS OFF MY VOTE!"

Elsewhere:

• •In Atlanta, city councilman Michael Julian Bond told the crowd that the constitution gives people the power to vote and asked whether they would use it.
• •In downtown Los Angeles, protesters used umbrellas against the sweltering heat while a band trailed behind them on a rolling stage, cheering calls to abolish ICE and pass California's billionaire tax.

The movement began last summer in response to federal layoffs, immigration enforcement and foreign wars, and has drawn millions of Americans to the streets in recent years. Its voting focus this year is partly due to the supreme court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act and fears about Trump once again sowing chaos around election results.

Organizers also planned to recruit volunteers at Saturday's events to mobilize against "election sabotage," according to Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, a progressive group that helps organize No Kings events.

The account is working again, but the No Kings Coalition said Sunday it is still waiting for Meta to explain the suspension.