Free Speech vs Hate Speech - Law & Order Season 23 Episode 1
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Recap

A man talks on the phone to his wife about people digging into his research to discredit him.He catches some vandals spray painting on a Jewish bagel place. He chases them away and gets stabbed while on the phone with his wife and they put a post it that says traitor or his belly. His last words are I love you. His wife calls 911.

The victim is the President of Hudson University.

The cops catch a guy moving around nearby and tell him to stop moving. He says he can move wherever he wants. Shaw manages to disarm him before Riley can shoot him. Riley tells him not to "play the hero" on his tab again.

The suspect claims that he found the jacket and bloody knife and he knows the cops like to put Black men in jail and that Tupac is still alive.

The man is telling the truth about the knife not being his. The cops are dispatched to notify the victim's wife. She says she heard him die and that he was feeling paranoid and frustrated before his death because people are accusing him of plagarism. There was so much pressure about what to say or not to say. He believed in free speech and didn't think it was his job to articulate his opinions on campus. Shaw realizes the pressure came rom his stance on the Isareli conflict.

Alpert's assistant says he had an argument at a party with a lacrosse coach. The coach says that Alpert was a cancel first ask questions later kind of President but he didn't kill him. The Coach was under investigation for letting older students haze the younger ones.

There are 24 lawsuits against Alpert. One is named Philip Klein and he was around last night. He tries to run from the cops. He doesn't want to go to jail for fighting anti-Semitism. He says that he is removing pro-Palestinian posters and says that it's good news that Alpert is dead.

Kelin is arrested. He says he was fired for saying that someone born a man shouldn't be able to compete in college athletics. He says you get canceled if you have the wrong view unless you're anti-Israel. Te cops know there was a restraiining order.

Anyway Klein says he went for a walk and to buy aspirin during the time of the murder. He has a receipt on his phone and says the Jewish community hated him because he didn't issue a statement after October 7 even though he made statements on other political issues. He allowed anti-Semitic protesters on campus. A group of donors wanted him to resign but he wouldn't budge.

A donor, Lugell, says he was supposed to havve lunch with Alpert but he never showed. He was trying to get him to ban a pro-Palestinian group. He found proof that the kids behind the movie were pro-Hamas and he agreed to cancel the movie.  However he would not release a statement on the attack. He says he was at a basketball game during the murder.

The cops talk. Shaw says Donovan was fired for speaking his mind too much. They find out a student named Chloe with 13k followers on social media posted a video saying Alpert is a puppet of the Zionists and a traitor.

The cops come to talk to Chloe. She says she just spoke her truth. She says she has family in Gaza and knows how people are treated. She says angrily that she won't tell them where she was. A woman comes out and says they're harassing her students.

Dixon says her phone has been ringing off the hook because Chloe said they were in the pocket of the Israeli government and harass Palestinian students. Security footage shows that another student int he organization may have killed Alpert. Studenrts try to interfere with the arrest.

Maroun makes a speech at arraignment claiming that the defendant stabbed Alpert for revenge and therefore they want remand. The defense attorney says that the case is weak, his client is innocent, etc. (Why didn't the judge point out arraignment is not for arguing cases?) Bail is set at 1 million.

 Price says the film was hateful and that he knows she has family in Lebanon. Maroun thinks they should ignore politics and focus on making their case.

The team meets with Chloe who laughs at their evidence and claims they can't see anything. Price warns her this isn't a movie. If she doesn't talk they'll charge her as an accomplice to murder. (But can she make something up believably since she's an actress?) She claims she only ran into Cam outside and she shared a cab with him and then went to have dinner with her agent.

Chloe's alibi is confirmed and she is blowing up social media and claiming the NYPD and DA's office are persecuting Cam for telling the truth about Gaza since after all they have ties to Israel. She and Professor Nassar are demanding protests. She is getting comments saying she is anti-Semetic. Price says Chloe is being irresponsible. Maroun says she's just a kid, but she has a massive platform. Price disagrees. Maroun says she is the queen of the far left and they want her to be a martyr. Price disagrees but anyway they need a gag order to get rid of the hyperbole and misinformation.

Chloe and Nasser have a rally and everyone cheers for Cam. Someone shoots Chloe from the crowd and the cops chase after the shooter. It's Philip Klein. He says that Hamas is trying to destroy all Jews. Shaw says no one elsse needs to die today. He points his gun at Riley anyway and gets shot to death.

Shaw thanks Riley. He wasn't expecting Klein to try to shoot him. Is Riley okay? Riley thinks so. He never shot anyone before.

Chloe has also died. Two more dead  bodies -- why? Maroun says it's always this way when it comes to free speech. Anyway, they have two days to make their case now that this has happened.

A classmate tells Maroun that Nasser brainwashed Chloe and Cam and he thinks she's an extremist.

Maroun goes to McCoy. They have evidence that the knife used against Alpert was Nasser's. McCoy doesn't think they ahve enough evidence. If they're right, they will give the defendant a deal. Price says no deal.  He says the optics of letting someone off who killed a jewish university president are bad. McCoy says that's his problem, not Price's.

Cam insists Nasser sees him as an adult. His parents don't like this. Did Nasser tell him to kill Alpert? If he cooperates he'll get 10 years instead of life.

Nasser is arrested in th e middle of a lecture claiming October 7 wasn't a terrorist attack when the cops arrest her,, angering her students.

Cam testifies but tries to defend Nasser. He hems and ahws but ultimately admits she gave him the knife.. However he says she never outright told him to kill Alpert, only suggested it and gave him a knife. The defendant is staring at him as he says yes.

Nasser testifies that the "jewish elite"are trying to silence her because they don't agree with her beliefs about the Middle East. When Price objects she says this is proof she's being silenced.  On cross she claims she has no knowledge of students being violent, it's not her fault if they do it on their own volition.  However she admits she was proud of Cam for killing Alpert.

Somehow, despite this testimony she is found not guilty. The conlfict continues downstairs while Maroun comments tat it's never over...

 

 

Show:
Law & Order
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Episode Number:
1
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Law & Order Season 23 Episode 1 Quotes

Shaw: Poilce! Don't move!
Suspect: I can move wherever I want.

Riley: Feels good to be back in the game.
Shaw: Yeah. Wanna say it?
Riley: What have we got?