Facebook Deletes Farrakhan ‘Hate Speech’ Video; Twitter Keeps It Up

Louis Farrakhan receiving a standing ovation during a press conference in Chicago in 2011. Image by Getty

Facebook took down a video posted to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan’s account that compared Jews to termites, calling it “Tier 1 hate speech,” The Wrap reported.

“The video was taken down because it violates our hate speech policies,” a Facebook representative told The Wrap.

In response to critics calling him an anti-Semite, Farrakhan, a leader of the Nation of Islam, said he is “anti-termite.”

“So when they talk about Farrakhan, call me a hater, call me anti-Semite. Stop it. I’m anti-termite,” he said in the video, which was taken at a major NOI convention in Detroit over the weekend.

Facebook identifies a Tier 1 violation as “violent” and “dehumanizing speech,” as well as an attack comparing a person or group of people to “animals that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior,” according to TheWrap.

Farrakhan’s account has been given a “strike” by Facebook, but it’s still live, the New York Post reported.

Meanwhile, Twitter has not removed the video. The social media service un-verified Farrakhan in June after he posted a video clip titled “Thoroughly and completely unmasking the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan.” That video is still available on Twitter as well.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher