Minister Louis Farrakhan Delivers Anti-Semitic Speech
(CNN) — Minister Louis Farrakhan engaged in a series of anti-Semitic remarks on Sunday.
Farrakhan has led the black nationalist group Nation of Islam since 1977 and is known for hyperbolic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community.
During the speech in Chicago, Farrakhan made several anti-Semitic comments, including, "the powerful Jews are my enemy."
"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," he later said.
Women's March co-chair Tamika Mallory was in attendance, CNN's Jake Tapper pointed out on Twitter after she shared an image from the event on Instagram.
Mallory has posted on social media about Farrakhan in the past — on February 21, 2016, she posted an image of him from a stage at the Joe Louis Arena with the caption: "The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan just stepped to the mic for #SD16DET... I'm super ready for this message! #JUSTICEORELSE #ForTheLoveOfFlint."
Mallory did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment on Sunday's speech.
The Nation of Islam is a designated hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its "deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric," and its primary teaching promotes black racial superiority.
Rep. Keith Ellison faced scrutiny during his bid for Democratic National Committee chair over his past ties with the group, and a previous CNN review revealed the Minnesota Democrat had a decade-long involvement with NOI.
In December 2016, a spokesperson for Ellison told CNN that Ellison "rejects all forms of anti-Semitism" and said "the right wing has been pushing these stories for years to drive a wedge between Congressman Ellison and the Jewish community."
After he announced his run for DNC chair, Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and J-Street came to Ellison's defense on his past associations and writings.
Last week on CNN's The Situation Room, Ellison said he had "no relationship" with Farrakhan.
"My political opponents keep pushing this out there in order to try and smear and distract from the key issues, but there's no relationship, Wolf," Ellison told Wolf Blitzer.
Also recently, a photo from 2005 surfaced of then-Sen. Barack Obama with Farrakhan during a Congressional Black Caucus meeting that was allegedly kept under wraps over fear it would negatively impact Obama's political future, according to the Trice Edney News Wire.
— Sophie Tatum
The-CNN-Wire
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