He didn't hurt anyone other than himself. He's just an idiot.
If you're of the opinion that hate crimes are distinct from non-hate crimes because of the broader effects on the population associated with hate crimes, I think that faking a hate crime carries those same effects.
This was being characterized as "a modern day lynching."
Because reverse racism? Nah.
Guys. No. Come on. Think about this for two seconds.
If Jussie Smollet's (or any hate crime hoaxer's) plan goes how he wants it to,
then nobody knows the hate crime was fake. Everyone assumes that it was a real hate crime, and that "a modern day lynching"
did occur on the streets of Chicago.
Aside from a direct lynching victim, the effects are identical. This isn't complicated.