Authorities in Scotland have launched an investigation into a whole host of allegations of rape and sexual assault after dozens of women at St. Andrews University, including in its chapter of the historically Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, came forward.
The claims were first made on a special Facebook page.
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"Accusations leveled at members of the fraternity, which include at least nine separate rape claims, were among more than 50 first-hand accounts posted on the page," the Jewish Chronicle reported. "Many of the allegations, especially those dealing with Alpha Epsilon Pi, have since been removed after St. Andrews University was advised about the potential legal implications of stories being publicly shared," the report said.
In the wake of the accusations, the fraternity issued a statement saying, "Alpha Epsilon Pi St. Andrews was made aware of allegations of sexual assault, harassment and rape against multiple members of our fraternity, including incidents at chapter vents. We find the contents of these allegations abhorrent and are taking them extremely seriously."
The fraternity said it "immediately suspended those that acknowledged a role in the alleged incidents" and added that it would cooperate with authorities.
"As a Jewish fraternity, one of the values of our teachings we hold most important is that all human beings are fashioned B'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. Therefore, it is wrong to treat anybody without dignity, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation or religion. This obviously applies to sexual assault and harassment," the fraternity said.
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