Louis Farrakhan No Longer Verified On Twitter After ‘Satanic Jew’ Tweet

Image by Getty Images
Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, is no longer verified on Twitter.
Farrakhan has been condemned for decades over for making homophobic and anti-Semitic statements. He posted on Wednesday a video clip titled “Thoroughly and completely unmasking the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan.”
Thoroughly and completely unmasking the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan.
Full Video: https://t.co/N5KXtakhpl pic.twitter.com/zRgSKcAsZj
— MINISTER FARRAKHAN (@LouisFarrakhan) June 7, 2018
It also includes a link to his three-hour sermon delivered last month. In it, according to the Anti-Defamation League, Farrakhan claimed that Judaism is a “system of tricks and lies,” that Jews in Hollywood force aspiring actors into anal sex to get parts, and that former president Barack Obama was under “under Jewish influence” when he advocated for same-sex marriage, which Farrakhan called “Satanic.”
The verification process helps prove that Twitter accounts linked to prominent figures are actually controlled by those people. But the social media network has since last year removed verification and its accompanying blue checkmarks from people it has deemed to have violated its policies on hate speech.
“Verification has long been perceived as an endorsement. We gave verified accounts visual prominence on the service which deepened this perception,” Twitter noted in November. “This perception became worse when we opened up verification for public submissions and verified people who we in no way endorse.”
In November, Twitter un-verified white nationalist Richard Spencer and far-right activist Laura Loomer, among others.
In the ensuing months, it has outright suspended the accounts of white supremacist leaders and groups, chapters of the Jewish Defense League and anti-Semitic congressional candidate Paul Nehlen.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
