Mel Gibson said in Los Angeles on Tuesday he is not a bigot and he apologized to “everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words” he used when he was arrested for investigation of drunken driving.
“Hatred of any kind goes against my faith,” he said in a statement.
“I’m not just asking for forgiveness,” Gibson said. “I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.”
“Please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.”
It was the second apology the 50-year-old Academy Award winner has issued since he was pulled over for speeding early Friday in Malibu and arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. He reportedly launched into an anti-Semitic tirade.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s initial account of the arrest did not mention Gibson’s remarks. However, the law enforcement official quoted Gibson as saying, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” and asking the arresting officer, “Are you a Jew?”
Michael Gennaco, the attorney in charge of a civilian panel responsible for oversight of allegations of wrongdoing by the sheriff’s department, said an investigation was continuing into whether documentation about the arrest was consistent with policies. He said a preliminary review found nothing wrong with Gibson’s arrest.
Giving Tommy Lee a lift leads to charges for pilot
A pilot faced reckless flying and other charges for landing a helicopter on a California public street to pick up Tommy Lee and take him to a concert, prosecutors said.
David Keith Martz, 49, landed the helicopter July 7 outside a home in the Hollywood Hills to give the 43-year-old rocker a 50-mile flight to a Nine Inch Nails concert in Irvine, Calif., said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
Martz was charged with one count each of reckless flying, landing an aircraft on a public road and landing an aircraft without a permit, Mateljan said.
Actress-model plans wedding very soon
Elizabeth Hurley says she plans to marry her boyfriend, Indian businessman Arun Nayer, very soon.
“I can’t tell you the exact date, but it is very close,” the 41-year-old actress-model is quoted as saying in the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The couple have been dating since 2003.
From Herald news services
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