Repro Uncensored, Bits of Freedom, and Dutch Queer Organizations Are Taking Legal Action Against Meta -Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Repro Uncensored, Bits of Freedom and Dutch Queer Organizations Issue Legal Demand Against Meta, Escalating Pressure for a European Class Action
Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2026
Global NGO Repro Uncensored, Digital Rights leader Bits of Freedom, alongside the coalition of broader Dutch queer organizations and COC Netherlands, sent a formal legal demand to Meta following the mass removal of Instagram accounts belonging to queer and cultural communities across the Netherlands. The case raises serious concerns about discrimination, unequal enforcement, and the exclusion of already marginalised communities from digital public spaces.
The formal demand letter, issued by Dutch law firm Bureau Brandeis on behalf of organizations including BUTT Magazine, Bits of Freedom, Repro Uncensored, Club Church, The Queer Agenda, COC Netherlands, Tillatec, Sauna Nieuwezijds, Free Willie Amsterdam, Striptopia, the Queer Gallery, and No Limits! Art Castle argues that Meta’s actions may violate European fundamental rights law, the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), the GDPR, and Dutch anti-discrimination law.
Repro Uncensored, the nonprofit organization monitoring digital censorship globally, has documented a sharp rise in reports involving LGBTQIA+ communities, sex workers, reproductive health organizations, artists, nightlife collectives, and sexual health educators across Meta platforms in recent months. In April 2026 alone, the organization documented more than 130 reports of accounts censored globally, the majority involving Instagram within the European Union. The wave follows an earlier pattern of coordinated account removals documented by Repro Uncensored in 2025 in their investigation with The Guardian, pointing to persistent and unresolved structural issues in platform governance.
“This case is about digital discrimination and the exclusion of communities from the public spaces that shape our social, cultural, and political life. When platforms can make organisations, knowledge, and entire communities disappear without explanation or meaningful recourse, it leads to digital ostracisation that undermines civic participation and erodes our democracies. What is at stake are the rights of queer communities in the Netherlands, of European citizens, and of people globally who rely on these platforms to access information and participate in public discourse. This legal action is about building a precedent to ensure accountability and protect fundamental rights in the digital public sphere. If left unaddressed, these patterns will strengthen the rise of anti-gender and anti-rights movements, further undermining our democracies and eroding fundamental rights for all.” Martha Dimitratou, Founder and Executive Director, Repro Uncensored
“Removing queer accounts without reason and warning constitutes a violation of European law. Platformsare not allowed to structurally exclude minority groups from public debate. We have called on Meta to provide a full explanation and to guarantee that this will not happen again. This is the first case in which the Digital Services Act is being used to challenge discriminatory content moderation by a Very Large Online Platform.” Minke Gommer, Senior Lawyer at Bureau Brandeis
The letter states that Meta removed accounts “without sufficient notice targeting organisations and individuals within the queer community” and argues that the removals “systematically exclude queer communities from public debate and eliminate their access to the public sphere.” This raises broader concerns about how private platforms are shaping access to public discourse and participation in democratic life.
Several organizations report that their accounts were removed without explanation, while others were allegedly flagged under categories such as “human exploitation” or “account integrity” despite operating as long-established cultural institutions, publications, and community spaces.
In multiple cases, the removal of one account reportedly triggered the automatic deletion of additional affiliated or personal accounts managed by the same individuals. The letter further argues that some users were informed that reinstatement would only be possible through court proceedings or dispute settlement bodies.
The coalition argues that Meta failed to provide meaningful explanations for the removals, failed to ensure adequate human review, and failed to provide effective appeal mechanisms required under the DSA. It also raises concerns about the discriminatory impacts of automated moderation systems, which appear to disproportionately affect queer communities and other marginalised groups.
“Bits of Freedom has previously won a court case against Meta and is determined to hold the Big Tech company accountable for breaches of European laws designed to protect platform users. European platform regulation exists precisely to prevent a dominant company like Meta from carrying out far-reaching content moderation without safeguards – which is exactly what happened with the affected accounts. Now that Meta is failing to comply with the law, we will have to ask the courts to enforce it.”Lotje Beek, Policy Advisor at Bits of Freedom
As digital platforms increasingly function as essential infrastructure for communication, visibility, and community building, these actions risk undermining access to public spaces and weakening participation in democratic and civic life.
The organizations are demanding that Meta:• refrain from future unlawful removals and shadowbanning;• provide clear explanations for past enforcement actions;• disclose whether automated decision-making systems were involved;• establish direct human points of contact for affected organizations.
The coalition states that while many accounts were eventually reinstated following widespread media attention and public pressure, organizations continue to face uncertainty and fear repeated removals.
Caspar Pisters, Head of Communications at Club Church, also speaking on behalf of affiliated organizations Free Willie, Sauna Nieuwezijds, and StreetHeart Festival - all of which had their accounts and back-up accounts removed in the past few weeks, states that taking legal action, is the only logical step at this point:
“We have our accounts back, but for how long? There’s no going back to business-as-usual, after some of our accounts were deleted already three times. A lot of resources and stress go into getting these accounts back, without any guarantee ever that they will indeed be re-installed. Meta proves zero insight into why they were removed in the first place, it does not give any beforehand warning, it doesn’t have a proper option for appealing. We are always very careful to not post any offensive content, yet we can be eliminated without notice at any given moment. It’s no longer safe to invest in Meta platforms. The impact goes beyond just our Instagram profiles, it injects uncertainty into the entire lgbtiq+ online community. While Instagram has managed to maneuver itself into a vital position in today’s communication, they target an entire community, by targeting some of us. We would not accept this kind of discriminatory behavior in an offline setting, we won’t tolerate it online, either.”
The lgbti+ organisation COC Netherlands supports the case as a representative of the Dutch queer communities. COC Spokesperson Philip Tijsma:
‘These actions by Meta disproportionally affect our queer communities and other minorities. They limit our options to meet, speak out, be visible and quite frankly: be ourselves. We won’t just let that happen. We will always stand up for ourselves and never let our communities be silenced or erased.’
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Media Contact:
Martha Dimitratou, martha@reprouncensored.org
Caspar Pisters, caspar@dds.nl
Minke Gommer, minke.gommer@bureaubrandeis.com
Lotje Beek, lotje@bitsoffreedom.nl
About Repro Uncensored
Repro Uncensored is a global nonprofit documenting digital suppression and supporting organizations affected by discriminatory moderation systems. Through multilingual incident tracking, its global censorship map, research, and cultural advocacy, Repro Uncensored works with sexual and reproductive health organizations, queer collectives, and cultural communities to ensure their content remains accessible. The organization also supports account reinstatements and leads work on emerging forms of technology-enabled harm, including AI-driven abuse.
About Bits of Freedom
Bits of Freedom is a leading digital rights organization, dedicated to protecting internet freedom, privacy, and freedom of communication. [They recently won a Digital Services Act based court case against Meta]
About Bureau Brandeis
Bureau Brandeis is a Dutch law firm based in Amsterdam, specialising in complex litigation often at the intersection of technology and fundamental rights. The firm previously represented Bits of Freedom in its landmark DSA case against Meta, in which the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ordered Meta to give users of Facebook and Instagram a persistent choice for a non-profiled recommendation system. The firm is named after US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, known for his commitment to privacy, free speech and the fight against abuse of power.
About COC Netherlands
Established in 1946, COC Netherlands is the oldest existing lgbti+ organisation in the world. It works toward a diverse and inclusive society, where everyone can participate and be themselves, regardless of sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, or sex characteristics.
About The Queer Agenda
The Queer Agenda is an Amsterdam-based collective that creates new queer spaces, provides a platform for queer talent, and captures the community through photography. Their motivation is centred around the belief that queer women, trans and non-binary people need more visibility and deserve a place within the cultural landscape of Amsterdam and beyond. Since starting in 2022, they have been running events, photography
About Club Church
Club Church is a queer nightclub and cultural space in Amsterdam, known for creating inclusive environments for LGBTQI+ communities and subcultures. Since 2008, it has been a key fixture in the city’s nightlife and cultural ecosystem.