Alan Dershowitz Weighs In On Hate Crime Charges For Syracuse Students
Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz appeared on Newsmax to discuss the charges against two Syracuse University freshmen accused of throwing pork into a Jewish fraternity house during Rosh Hashanah, arguing the incident may be more punishable by the university than by the law.
The legal and ethical fallout from a recent incident at Syracuse University is now in the spotlight, as two freshmen face hate crime charges after allegedly throwing pork into a Jewish fraternity house. The act, which occurred during the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, has sparked a debate over whether the students’ actions constitute a serious crime or a misguided prank that went too far.
In an interview on Newsmax’s “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” renowned Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz offered his perspective, suggesting the students’ actions might be more deserving of university discipline than criminal prosecution. “It seems to me that this is much more an expellable offense by the university because it violates all the standards of decency than it is a serious crime,” Dershowitz said. He predicted the students could face suspension or expulsion from the university, while their legal punishment might be a lighter sentence, such as a suspended sentence or a few weeks in jail.
The legal complexity, Dershowitz explained, hinges on the charge of burglary as a hate crime. Burglary is defined as entering a premises with the intent to commit a crime. Since one student allegedly entered the fraternity house, while the other remained outside as a lookout, they both technically committed the crime. However, the defense could argue the act was a misdemeanor prank, not a hate-fueled crime with criminal intent.
“The question really is, did they do it as a fraternity prank? Did they do it because they hate Jews?” Dershowitz asked. He drew a parallel to other acts of hate, noting that if a noose were thrown into a Black fraternity or pork into a Muslim one, the community’s reaction would be one of immediate outrage.
While Dershowitz questioned the severity of the criminal charges, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick emphasized that his office views the incident as a serious offense. “This incident is not a foolish college prank and will not be treated as such,” Fitzpatrick told local NBC affiliate WSTM. “It will be treated for what it is, a crime directed against a group of Jewish students enjoying a celebratory dinner and seemingly secure in their residence.”
The incident comes amidst a troubling increase in Jewish hate crimes. Recent months have seen multiple high-profile attacks, including a man arrested in June for allegedly using a flamethrower at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, and another who killed two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., in May. While these are far more violent examples, the Syracuse incident highlights the ongoing issue of antisemitism, even in what some might consider a less violent form.
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