Copied from this post on r/ModCoord.

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For the longest time, moderators on reddit have been assured that they are free to manage and run their communities as they see fit as long as they are abiding by the user agreement and the content policy.

Indeed, language such as the following can be found in various pieces of official Reddit documentation, as pointed out in this comment:

Please keep in mind, however, that moderators are free to run their subreddits however they so choose so long as it is not breaking reddit's rules. So if it's simply an ideological issue you have or a personal vendetta against a moderator, consider making a new subreddit and shaping it the way you'd like rather than performing a sit-in and/or witch hunt.

 

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Reddit didn't really say much when we posted our open letter. Spez, the CEO, gave one of the worst AMAs of all time, and then told employees to standby that this would all blow over and things would go back to normal.

Reddit has finally responded to the blackout in a couple of ways.

First, they made clear via a comment in r/modsupport that mods will be removed from their positions:

When rules like these are broken, we remove the mods in violation of the Moderator Code of Conduct, and add new, active mods to the subreddits. We also step in to rearrange mod teams, so active mods are empowered to make decisions for their community..

Second, Spez said the following bunch of things:

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• Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators From Subreddits Continuing Apollo-Related Blackouts

• Reddit CEO slams protest leaders, saying he'll change rules that favor ‘landed gentry’
  Steve Huffman, the Reddit CEO, told NBC News in an interview that a user protest on the site this week is led by a minority of moderators and doesn’t have wide support.

• Reddit CEO Steve Huffman: Reddit ‘was never designed to support third-party apps’

• Reddit CEO Steve Huffman: 'It's time we grow up and behave like an adult company'

 

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The admins have cited the Moderator Code of Conduct and have threatened to utilize the Code of Conduct team to take over protesting subreddits that have been made private. However, the rules in the Code that have been quoted have no such allowances that can be applied to any of the participating subs.

The rules cited do not apply to a private sub whether in protest or otherwise.

Rule 2: Set Appropriate and Reasonable Expectations. - The community remains sufficiently moderated because it is private and tightly controlled. Going private does not affect the community's purpose, cause improper content labeling, or remove the rules and expectations already set.

Rule 4: Be Active and Engaged. - The community remains sufficiently moderated because it is private and tightly controlled, while "actively engaging via posts, comments, and voting" is not required. A private subreddit with active mods is inherently not "camping or sitting".

Both admins and even the CEO himself in last week's AMA are on record saying they "respect a community's decision to become private".

Reddit's communication has been poor from the very beginning. This change was not offered for feedback in private feedback communities, and little user input or opinion was solicited. They have attempted to gaslight us that they want to keep third party apps while they set prices and timelines no developer can meet. The blowback that is happening now is largely because reddit launched this drastic change with only 30 days notice. We continue to ask reddit to place these changes on pause and explore a real path forward that strikes a balance that is best for the widest range of reddit users.

Reddit has been vague about what they would do if subreddits stay private indefinitely. They've also said mods would be safe. But it seems they are speaking very clearly and very loudly now: Moderators will be removed one way or another.