Mel Gibson needs a better publicist.
That is my conclusion after reading about his latest interview with ABC. Instead of putting to rest questions about his views about Jews and the Holocaust, he has given answers which I would deem “skirtish.” As such, I still have doubts about his sincerity.
Bear in mind that questions about Gibson’s views stem not only from his film The Passion (which apparently does not portray Jews in a good light), but also from statements by his father Hutton, whom Mel has subsequently defended. Hutton had this to say about the Holocaust:
“Go and ask an undertaker or the guy who operates the crematorium what it takes to get rid of a dead body,” he said. “It takes one litre of petrol and 20 minutes. Now, six million?”
You would have thought that Mel would distance himself from these remarks and state unequivocally that he believes that six million people were murdered in the Holocaust. Instead, Mel had this to say in the interview:
“You know, do I believe that there were concentration camps where defenseless and innocent Jews died cruelly under the Nazi regime? Of course I do. Absolutely. It was an atrocity of monumental proportion.”
No mention of six million. Just a vague reply about Jews having being killed. As such, he is not contradicting his father’s doubts about the number of Jews killed. And why should we believe that he would not agree with his father? After all, he previously had this to say about him:
“My dad taught me my faith and I believe what he taught me. The man never lied to me in his life.”
Sorry Mel, I ain’t convinced.
