American anti-Jewish musician Louis Farrakhan has denied he is antisemitic, saying he is only seeking to "separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews".

Mr Farrakhan, who recently said Jews were "termites", spoke at a Catholic church in Chicago on Thursday after he was among a group of figures banned from Facebook for hate speech.

"I’m here to separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews," he said at St Sadina Church on the city's South Side.

"I have not said one word of hate. 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. As long as you don’t attack us, we won’t bother you...

"Do not be angry with me if I stand on God’s word.”

His words were met with shouts of "No Sir!" and "that's right!" from the audience.

He was invited to speak by Rev Michael Pfleger after the Facebook ban. The reverend was condemned for giving Mr Farrakhan a platform.

Fritzie Fritzshall, a Holocaust survivor and president of the Illinois Holocaust Museum, told the Chicago Sun Times: "I don’t understand Father Pfleger because I’ve always thought he was one for peace...

“What he’s doing today and what he’s doing with Farrakhan is giving him a platform for hatred — hatred he has spoken about for many, many years.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said: “It’s typical that even in defending himself against claims of antisemitism, Louis Farrakhan has once again invoked more anti-Jewish hatred.

"His remarks last night were vintage Farrakhan: A litany of tropes about how ‘Satanic Jews’ are corrupting society with immoral acts and that Jewish writings, ‘promote pedophilia.’

"These are the hateful notions that have poisoned the Nation of Islam’s worldview for decades, and it is deeply disappointing that he was given a platform in a church to spew his hateful vitriol.”