Mel Gibson DROPPED as Co-Grand Marshal of New Orleans Parade due to actor receiving ‘threats’

Mel Gibson has been dropped as Co-Grand Marshal of the 2023 New Orleans Parade – with event organizers citing ‘threats and safety’ concerns in the wake of the actor’s announcement.

The actor, 67, who has a long history of making anti-Semitic and racist remarks, was due to appear in the Krewe of Endymion parade at the Mardi Gras event on February 18, but his inclusion was slammed by The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Greater New Orleans Rabbinic Council.

Endymion president Dan Kelly  said in a statement on Sunday – just 24 hours after Oscar-winner Gibson was announced as  Co-Grand Marshal: ‘The Krewe of Endymion has received significant feedback about our grand marshal announcement.

‘Some of this commentary included threats that cause us great concern.

‘In the best interest of the safety of our riders, special guests and everyone that welcomes us on the streets, Mel Gibson will not ride as a co-Grand Marshal for our 2023 parade.’

In a joint statement on Sunday, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Jewish Community Relations Council lauded the decision to remove the star – but questioned why he was hired in the first place.

The statement read: ‘Although it has been announced that Mel Gibson will no longer ride due to reported threats, ADL, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, and the Greater New Orleans Rabbinic Council—are appalled that Endymion chose Mel Gibson as the parade’s 2023 Grand Marshal to begin with.

‘Mel Gibson has a long history of making anti-Semitic, racist and misogynistic slurs. While the actor has made half-hearted attempts to apologize for his remarks over the years, there is still a great deal of pain associated with his name and deep wounds in the Jewish community from those controversies, which may never heal.

‘Given his history of fueling antisemitism and other forms of hate, we find his choice as Grand Marshal of Endymion was completely insulting and shortsighted.

‘Although we are relieved he is no longer riding, we hope the Endymion leadership will take the opportunity to learn why the selection of Mel Gibson caused such pain and disappointment to the Jewish community as well as the marginalized communities he has harmed in the past.

‘While Carnival has had its own complex history with antisemitism and racism, Jews and other marginalized communities have been part of New Orleans Mardi Gras since the beginning.

‘Today, our communities are fully engaged in this cultural institution, including dozens within the Jewish community who ride in the Endymion Krewe. Mardi Gras is a celebration of the spirit of New Orleans, which includes all her citizens and residents and honors our diversity and our rich history.

‘Endymion choosing a Grand Marshal with a strong record of hatred sent the wrong message about the event.’

Dailymail.com has contacted Mel Gibson’s representatives for comment.

Back in 2020 Gibson hit  back at explosive claims by Winona Ryder that the Oscar-winning actor and director made anti-Semitic and bigoted remarks and accusing the Stranger Things star of lying about their interactions.

‘This is 100% untrue,’ a representative for Gibson said in a statement to TooFab. ‘She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she’s lying about it now.

‘Also, she lied about him trying to apologize to her back then. He did reach out to her, many years ago, to confront her about her lies and she refused to address it with him.’

The Heathers actress claimed the Braveheart star asked her if she was an ‘oven-dodger’, an apparent reference to her Jewish faith, in an interview with the Sunday Times.

‘We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar,’ began the Black Swan actress.

Winona -whose birth name is Winona Laura Horowitz- said when the issue of her faith came up, Mel asked, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you?’

The slur is a reference to the method by which Jewish bodies were incinerated during the Holocaust.

Ryder also claimed that at the same party, the Passion of the Christ director asked her friend, who was gay, ‘Oh, wait, am I gonna get AIDS?’

The Little Woman actress had previously told a similar story to GQ back in 2010.

‘I was at one of those big Hollywood parties. And [Gibson] was really drunk,’ Ryder, told the magazine at the time.

‘I was with my friend, who’s gay. [Gibson] made a really horrible gay joke. And somehow it came up that I was Jewish. He said something about “oven dodgers,” but I didn’t get it.’

‘It was just this weird, weird moment. I was like, “He’s anti-Semitic and he’s homophobic.” No one believed me!’

Gibson’s long track record of racist and homophobic outbursts is now well-documented however.

The Oscar-winning star was famously arrested in California in 2006 after he was caught drink driving.

The devout Roman Catholic was alleged to have told the police officer that stopped him: ‘F****** Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.’

He is then said to have challenged officer James Mee: ‘Are you a Jew?’

In 2010, Gibson was heard hurling racial abuse at his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in a recording made by the Russian singer.

He was heard screaming: ‘You look like a f****** pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n******, it will be your fault.’

He pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor battery against Grigorieva in 2011 and served no jail time.

In 1991, the Mad Max star made comments to Spanish newspaper El Pais that many construed as homophobic in nature.

‘With this look, who’s going to think I’m gay?’ he told the publication.

‘Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?’

Gibson’s long-awaited sequel to his  controversial 2004 film The Passion of the Christ is set to ‘begin filming in the next few months’.

The Australian director and actor has previously mentioned on several occasion that the second film, titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, has been in the works – but now reports reveal the filming could finally commence in spring 2023.

According to Newsmax, Jim Caviezel is set to return in the role of Jesus while Mel will be leading the way as director.

Passion Of The Christ scooped a whopping $612 million worldwide on a comparatively small budget of $30 million, making it the highest grossing R-rated film ever in the US box office.

While the film was no doubt a financial success, Mel and his team did weather their fair share of negative critical reviews.

Some critics slammed the film for its use of excessive violence, while others claimed that the film deviated too dramatically from the biblical story upon which it was based.

The film was also slammed by some viewers as portraying antisemitic subject matter.

It is unclear whether the 2004 film’s original stars Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci, who portrayed Jesus and Mary Magdalene respectively, will return to their roles.

A movie about Christ’s resurrection called Risen was released in February, and made $46 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.

In September 2016, Mel confirmed work has begun on a sequel to his 2004 film.

He revealed that work has already begun on the blockbuster and that Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace has already signed on to the project.

‘Of course, that is a huge undertaking, and you know, it’s not the Passion 2. It’s called The Resurrection,’ said Mel during an interview with Pastor Greg Laurie at the SoCal Harvest Crusade in California.

‘Of course, that’s a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don’t want to just do a simple rendering of it – you know, read what happened,’ he explained.

‘But in order to read it, experience and explore probably deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some doing and Randall Wallace is up to the task.’

‘He is also, as well as a brilliant writer, he is a great director. He directed We Were Soldiers and Heaven Is For Real and stuff. So, he is a good writer and director,’ added Mel.

Randall Wallace has spoken about his desire to take part in a follow-up film to Passion Of The Christ, telling The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I always wanted to tell this story. The Passion is the beginning and there’s a lot more story to tell,’ he said.

The writer said they were interested due to the huge demand among the religious devotees who helped the original become the highest grossing independent movie of all time.

He said: ‘The evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger.’

Since the huge hit in 2004, Mel has gone through many life changes, including splitting from his ex wife Robyn Moore, who he spent thirty years married to, and shared seven children with.

Mel was previously in a relationship with the Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva from 2009 until 2010, with whom he shares his daughter Lucia, 13.

He then met his longtime partner Rosalind when she was signed on to co-write a script for his production company and they then began dating.

He was first revealed to be in a relationship with Rosalind, a writer and former champion equestrian, in 2014, and he welcomed his ninth child, Lars, with her in 2016.

The star’s career has seen a resurgence in recent times with Hacksaw Ridge, garnering his first Oscar nod in more than two decades.

Mel has previously spoken out about his sobriety and in 2016, said that as an Alcoholics Anonymous member he has 10 years of sobriety under his belt.

He has previously admitted that he spent many years in Alcoholics Anonymous, saying he wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

‘They call it the spiritual path for the psychopath. They say there’s only three options: you go insane, you die or you quit. That’s the harsh reality. I’m an old hand at that,’ he told Good Weekend at the time.