Instagram suspends activist group after it uses #KKKorGOP hashtag

What did the the Dream Defenders do to get their Instagram account suspended?

The anti-racism activist group, which calls itself an “uprising of communities in struggle,” participated in a social media campaign in response to the first GOP debates by posting photos of the candidates alongside a hooded klansmen.

The hashtag #KKKorGOP “illuminated the parallels between known white supremacists organizations and political leaders and the GOP presidential candidates and their political platforms,” the organization in a statement released on its website.

But their attempt to make their point was thwarted by Instagram Thursday night.

Steven Pargett woke up Friday morning and realized that Instagram had suspended his organization’s account. Pargett, the culture director at Dream Defenders, told Fusion that in addition to writing the company on Facebook, he submitted an appeal on the application.

The organization tweeted out news of its suspension Friday morning.

As far as Pargett knows, no other accounts were suspended.

“[The] Dream Defenders was a participant in the #KKKorGOP discussion, but there are several organizers who were involved in planning and facilitating the campaign,” Pargett told Fusion. The hashtag currently has 70 posts on Instagram.

The organization gained national attention when it occupied Florida’s capitol building for 31 days in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin.

The Instagram account was reactivated later on Friday. “It seems that after the intense pressure on social media, that IG has reactivated our account with all of our posts in tact,” said Pargett.

Fusion reached out to Instagram but did not get a response by time of publication.

Collier Meyerson is a reporter at Fusion with a focus on race and politics. She lives in Brooklyn.