Louis Farrakhan on Thursday addressed being recently banned from Facebook during a speech in which the Nation of Islam leader spoke about “Satanic Jews” while denying allegations of anti-Semitism.
Mr. Farrakhan, 85, spoke for more than an hour inside a Roman Catholic church in Chicago six days since being banned from Facebook for being considered in violation of the social network’s rules prohibiting dangerous individuals and organizations.
“It’s this that they fear,” Mr. Farrakhan said while gesturing to his mouth. “I don’t have no army. I just know the truth. And I’m here to separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews.”
“I have not said one word of hate,” Mr. Farrakhan said moments later. “I do not hate Jewish people. Not one that is with me has ever committed a crime against the Jewish people, black people, white people, no matter what your color is. As long as you don’t attack us, we don’t bother you.”
Facebook banned Mr. Farrakhan last Friday in tandem with removing accounts belonging to the Infowars website, Infowars publisher Alex Jones, Infowars editor Paul Joseph Watson, far-right politician Paul Nehlan and right-wing agitators Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer.
“We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology,” a Facebook spokesperson explained.
President Trump subsequently accused social media giants of censoring users, and he said during a rally Thursday that his administration is “carefully monitoring” those companies’ actions.
Mr. Farrakhan has been frequently accused of anti-Semitism during his decades leading the Nation of Islam, a political and religious group considered extremist by critics including the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center watchdog organizations.
“The powerful Jews are my enemy,” he said in 2018. “White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God’s grace, has pulled the cover off of that Satanic Jew. And I’m here to say your time is up, your world is through.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s chief executive officer, indicated he was hardly surprised by Mr. Farrakhan’s most recent remarks.
“It’s typical that even in defending himself against claims of anti-Semitism, Louis Farrakhan has once again invoked more anti-Jewish hatred,” Mr. Greenblatt said Friday. “His remarks last night were vintage Farrakhan.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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