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Louis Farrakhan keeps his Twitter account despite comparing Jews to termites

The founder of the Nation of Islam posted a video of his speech with the caption 'I'm not an anti-Semite. I’m anti-Termite'

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 16: Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan delivers a speech and talks about U.S. President Donald Trump, at the Watergate Hotel, on November 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. This is the first time that Minister Farrakhan will speak directly to the 45th President of the United States and will address "issues of importance regarding Americas domestic challenges, her place on the world stage and her future." (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Twitter has said that it will not suspend Louis Farrakhan over a tweet comparing Jews to termites.

The founder of the Nation of Islam, who has been accused of making antisemitic remarks in the past, posted a video of a speech he gave with the caption: "I'm not an anti-Semite. I’m anti-Termite.”

During the speech in Detroit, he addressed “the members of the Jewish community that don’t like me.”

He said: “Thank you very much for putting my name all over the planet.”

A Twitter spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that Mr Farrakhan’s account would not be suspended because his message did not break the rules of its policies.

It comes after he lost his Twitter “blue tick” - given to celebrities and public to signify their account is verified, after he tweeted footage of a sermon in which he blamed "Jewish power" for the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Public figures slammed Mr Farrakhan for his antisemitism.  

Chelsea Clinton wrote on Twitter: "Comparing Jews to termites is antisemitic, wrong and dangerous.

"The responsive laughter makes my skin crawl. For everyone who rightly condemned President Trump’s rhetoric when he spoke about immigrants ‘infesting our country,’ this rhetoric should be equally unacceptable to you.”

Others on social media pointed out Mr Farrakhan Tweet does infringe on Twitter's proposed “dehumanization policy."

In September Twitter announced via blog post that they were seeking “feedback on a policy before it is part of the Twitter Rules.”

For several months, the company has been working on new guidelines to combat “dehumanizing language” on the site, some of which they said was already included in their “hateful conduct policy.”

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