NBC Law & Order episode slammed for Covington teen & Ilhan Omar similarities

NBC is facing backlash for an episode of Law & Order SVU featuring characters that resemble the Covington teenager and Rep. Ilhan Omar. The show aired days after the real teen sued the network for $275 million.
The episode aired on Thursday featured a teenager wearing a red cap that resembled Covington high school student Nicholas Sandmann, who was accused of starting an abusive argument with an older Native American, Nathan Phillips, in Washington DC in January.

File photo © Reuters / Mike Blake

Sandmann is suing NBC for $275 million for defamation over its reporting on the misleading viral video. He has also filed suits against the Washington Post and CNN.

The SVU episode featured a boy named Ari who is part of a gang of angry Jewish students who accuse fictional Muslim councilwoman Nahla Nassar of anti-Semitism. The scene looks very similar to the Sandmann video, down to the red baseball cap.

https://twitter.com/deebs01/status/1126490188102893569

https://twitter.com/lindaholmes/status/1126823070306533382

In the show, two of the boys are then accused of raping the politician, even though it emerges that she was attacked by her husband. It is also revealed that the earlier scene showing the boys shouting at the councilwoman isn’t as it first seems, as Nassar was the one to provoke the boys.

Nassar says “It’s all about the Benjamins” during the episode, which is what Minnesota Rep. Omar tweeted while commenting on Israeli influence in US politics in February, sparking accusations of anti-Semitism.

Critics and social media users were quick to point out the glaring similarities between the episode and real-life people and events. A number of people took issue with the unflattering way the Omar-like character was portrayed, while others felt the episode was an example of NBC’s liberal bias.

https://twitter.com/ekundapsy/status/1126837704434552832
https://twitter.com/Dodgerjohn1/status/1126840819741126656
https://twitter.com/777GeauxJen/status/1126675702470840323
https://twitter.com/MORSECDE1/status/1126675597894266880

Original: https://www.rt.com/usa/459057-nbc-svu-covington-teen-omar/