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.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.