The actual “Free Melania” phrase and associated hashtag formed during the inauguration on January 20th, as Twitter users noted the various ways Trump treated his wife coldly. The Free Melania meme was out in full force the next day during the Women's March, the largest protest in US history to date. And the Harambe meme? The meme initially spread in anticipation of the social media backlash, and was a kind of dadaist interpretation of how social media outrage works. The Free Melania is no more about freeing (or pitying) the first lady than Harambe is about honoring the actual gorilla's memory.

Source: Forbes January 26, 2017 22:04 UTC