Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam leader, leads 'Death to America' chant in Iran
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a notorious anti-Semite who recently compared Jewish people to termites, led a "Death to America" chant Sunday during a solidarity trip to Iran.
Farrakhan's trip came ahead of the Trump administration's re-implementation of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic on Monday.
Speaking to law school students at the University of Tehran, the 85-year-old Farrakhan said “America has never been a democracy,” and also led a “Death to Israel” chant at the end of his talk, according to Iranian news agencies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Today, I warn the American government that sanctioning Iran is a big mistake,” he said at a meeting with the Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei. Farrakhan noted his belief America is conspiring against Iran.
Farrakhan's trip coincided with the 39th anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, when more than 50 American diplomats and civilians were held hostage for 444 days. The incident kicked off the Islamic Revolution, and Farrakhan told an Iranian audience that black Americans should be considered among the revolutionaries. The infamous activist cited the actions of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeni, who ordered the release of black Americans among the 1979 captives.
Video of Farrakhan leading a “Death to America” chant once again sparked calls for Democratic leaders to distance themselves from the controversial figure. Several prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, have interacted or taken pictures with Farrakhan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Donald Trump Jr. slammed Democrats Monday on Twitter.
“When will the democrats disavow this guy? Answer: NEVER,” Trump Jr. tweeted.
Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz called on “all decent people” to condemn Farrakhan after he tweeted he wasn’t anti-Semite but “anti-termite.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Nazis use the word 'termites' to dehumanize Jews and accuse them of destroying everything good about the world," Dershowitz explained on "FOX & Friends."
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, known as America’s Rabbi, also called on leaders to condemn him.
“A new low for arch Jew-hater Farrakhan,” Boteach tweeted. “Who has heard of an American going to a foreign country and chanting ‘Death to America?’ Where is Bill Clinton who appeared with him recently, and Barack Obama, photographed with him, and Cory Booker to condemn him?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Farrakhan has previously said “powerful Jews are my enemy” and “white folks are going down.”
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Linda Sarsour, a Women’s March co-founder and pro-Palestinian activist, has repeatedly praised Farrakhan and refused to condemn him. Tamika Mallory, another Women’s March leader, called him the “GOAT” or “Greatest of all time,” and served as a national organizer for his “Justice or Else” rally in 2015.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Israeli activist, Hen Mazzig, tweeted out video of the "Death to America" chant.
"Nothing, Linda Sarsour?" Mazzig wrote.