Passion of the Christ creator, Mel Gibson, is apologizing for events that led to his arrest Friday on alleged drunk driving charges and for statements he made to sheriff’s deputies. Entertainment website TMZ.com says the arrest report accuses Gibson of saying “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” and asking the arresting officer “Are you a Jew?” The Los Angeles Times says it has independently verified the report’s authenticity. In a statement released over the weekend, Gibson issued an apology for his “belligerent behavior” and claimed that he suffers from what he called “the disease of alcoholism.” The statement says: “I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable.” Jewish groups are fuming over Gibson’s reported remarks. Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center says, “If that’s what he said, even under intoxication, it clearly shows that Mel Gibson has a problem with Jews.” The head of the Anti-Defamation League, which complained that The Passion of the Christ had anti-Semitic overtones, calls Gibson’s apology for Friday’s incident “insufficient.”
- AP