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

Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT