Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who is running for New Jersey’s Democrat gubernatorial nomination, defended the Nation of Islam after video surfaced showing him applauding violent racist comments made by the group’s controversial leader Louis Farrakhan.
The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center labeled Farrakhan, 91, an extremist for his history of allegedly making antisemitic, racist and anti-LGBTQ comments.
When Baraka introduced Farrakhan during an event in Newark in 2004, the then-deputy mayor of Newark praised the minister as a role model and a strong “moral” leader.
At the event, Farrakhan called white people “cracker” and “the real devil,” and encouraged the audience to break the necks of white people.
“The cracker hit you on your jaw, you break his neck,” Farrakhan said in the video footage. “That’s the way we think.”
According to the video, Baraka, who was seated in the front row, stood and applauded Farrakhan’s remarks.
Baraka on Thursday told Jewish Insider he would “not be bullied or silenced into walking away from the fight for justice.”
“I will not be cowed into denouncing my lifelong work for peace, equality, and equity,” Baraka said. “These latest accusations and insinuations aren’t just false — they’re a reflection of the fear my candidacy is provoking in the political establishment.
“The Nation of Islam holds deep respect in many parts of the Black community because of the work they’ve done to reduce violence and support self-determination in neighborhoods that have been ignored and abandoned for generations.”
But a New Jersey Jewish leader who spoke with the New York Post said any connection to Farrakhan is troubling.
“Louis Farrakhan is an outspoken, vehement antisemite who called Jews the ‘enemy’ and never wasted an opportunity to spill vile hate towards Jews,” said Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.
“Any association or fondness of Farrakhan is a major concern and threat to our great American society. Likewise is his hatred of the LGBTQ community. We strongly encourage total disassociation with Farrakhan and a denunciation of his divisive and hateful rhetoric.”
In his statement to Jewish Insider, Baraka said he is “not antisemitic” and has “never been.”
“It’s offensive and irresponsible for anyone to suggest otherwise,” he said. “Throughout my life, I’ve built bridges across communities, faiths, and backgrounds to stand for justice and peace.”
“This is what happens when someone challenges a broken status quo that’s failed working people for decades. So let’s be clear, the people trying to twist my words and my record are the same ones who don’t show up for any community — not Black, not Jewish, not Latino, not South Asian, not working-class people from anywhere. These are people who rely on our collective division.”
According to a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll from last month, Baraka is leading the field in favorability among the six New Jersey Democrats vying for the party’s nomination for governor.
Other Democrat candidates include Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney.
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