Gibson acknowledges, apologizes for anti-Semitic tirade

Filmmaker Mel Gibson admitted Tuesday that he had made anti-Semitic remarks when arrested last week and asked the Jewish community to "help me on my journey through recovery."

In a statement released to the media Tuesday morning, Gibson said there was no excuse for his behaviour last Friday, when police stopped his speeding car and arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving.

"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge," Gibson said.

As a public figure, "I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words," he added. "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."

The Oscar-winning filmmaker also expressed a desire to meet with Jewish community leadersto "have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing."

Gibson acknowledged that "there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed."

The Hollywood star is "participating in an ongoing program of recovery," his publicist Alan Nierob said Monday, though he declined to identify the treatment facility or say how long Gibson would be in attendance.

"This guy is trying to stay alive," Nierob said.

ABC cancels project

ABC announced late Monday that it has cancelled a planned miniseries about the Holocaust that it had been developing with the U.S.-born, Australian-raised actor's Icon Productions.

In a short statement, ABC explained the decision by saying that since "it has been nearly two years and we have yet to see the first draft of a script, we have decided to no longer pursue this project with Icon."

The network declined to comment on whether the decision was affected by Gibson's arrest in Malibu, Calif., last weekend. ABC is owned by Walt Disney Co., whose movie studio is set to release Gibson's next film, the self-financed Mayan-language movie Apocalypto, on Dec. 8.

Police report sent to prosecutors' office

The police report on Gibson's arrest has been forwarded to prosecutors, officials said Monday. The report says that Gibson made anti-Semitic remarks and threatened a deputy.

When stopped for speeding and later arrested on suspicion of drunk driving early Friday, Gibson allegedly launched into a rant against Jews, asking the arresting officer if he was Jewish and continuing with other offensive comments.

A tentative arraignment date has been set for Sept. 28.

James Mee, the Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who arrested Gibson, is Jewish, but would not comment specifically on what the actor and director said.

"I don't want to defame him in any way or hurt him," Mee said Monday.

"That stuff is booze talking," he said. "If you are a laid-back kind of person, just an easygoing kind of person, booze is going to amplify that and you'll be just sitting around going how it's a wonderful day."

However, "if you are a high-strung person, it's going to amplify that, and all the bad things are going to come out," he added.

Oscar winner's controversial past

An Oscar winner for his 1995 film Braveheart, Gibson is a member of a strict conservative Catholic sect and has previously courted controversy for remarks made by his father, who is a Holocaust denier, and for his self-financed 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, which Jewish leaders have criticizedas blaming Jews for the death of Jesus Christ.

Top film industry agent Ari Emanuel has called on Hollywood to stop working with Gibson.

"At a time of escalating tensions in the world, the entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements," Emanuel said.

"People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or gentile, need to demonstrate that theyunderstand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line."

Independent office to review arrest procedures

Allegations have also arisen about whether senior sheriff's department officers asked arresting officer Mee to modify his initial report about Gibson because it was too inflammatory. The chief attorney from the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review said his office would fully investigate all the circumstances surrounding the arrest and the period Gibson spent in police custody.

A preliminary assessment "indicates that [the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department] did ensure that the arrest of Mr. Gibson was handled according with its policies and practices," Michael Gennaco told a press conference in Commerce, Calif., onTuesday afternoon.

"Most importantly, all information that should have been presented to the D.A. regarding this arrest and the underlying and surrounding circumstances was presented to the district attorney," he said.

However, "there is more to be done in regards to this case," Gennaco added. "All of that information will be carefully scrutinized, not only by the department but by us."

He also said that the leak of the police report into the "public realm" (it has been circulating on the internet) will be investigated.