Rutgers University rebukes satirical article on Adolf Hitler, bias incident

Report by JENIFERLAMUG

A satirical article praising Adolf Hitler which was falsely attributed to a Jewish student Aaron Marcus, had drawn rebuke from Rutgers University, calling it a bias incident. Marcus, a student writer for an independent Rutgers newspaper, the Daily Targum denied about writing the column "What about the good things Hitler did?" It appeared last week in the satirical newspaper the Daily Medium in New Brunswick, N.J. which is also funded in parts by Rutgers, reports Fox News.com.

"To say anything praiseworthy of someone like Hitler, and to have people actually believe it was coming from me even in a satirical manner is just really painful for me and my family," Marcus said. "I'm a firm believer in freedom of speech, but I'm not a firm believer in impersonation and libel." He also told WWOR-TV that the published article under his name with his photo included in it was hurtful as his relatives also have died in the Holocaust. He is seeking legal advice.

Reportedly, Rutgers University is now investigating the incident under its anti-bias policies. Moreover, Rutgers' President Richard McCormick in his issued statement said that the publication piece was "particularly despicable" to Marcus' Jewish faith. "No individual student should be subject to such a vicious, provocative and hurtful piece, regardless of whether First Amendment protections apply to such expression,” said McCormick.