Entertainment

DRIVING WHILE ANTI-SEMITIC – MEL RANTS AGAIN ON NEW ‘L&O’

MITCH Carroll hates Jews.

“Are you a Jew? You’re a Jew, right? I should have known they’d stick me in a room with a Jew cop!” rants Carroll, a fictitious TV star played by guest-star Chevy Chase in this Friday’s episode of “Law & Order” (10 p.m./ Ch. 4) inspired by Mel Gibson’s arrest and anti-Semitic diatribe last summer.

“I know the law as good as any Jew cop or Jew lawyer!

They think they run the world!” he continues, unaware that the cop he is addressing is of Irish descent – Det. Nina Cassady, played by Milena Govich.

That’s one way the storyline on “Law & Order” diverges from the Gibson story. In real-life, the movie star was at least addressing a sheriff’s deputy who was Jewish when he unleashed an anti-Semitic rant he later blamed on drinking too much tequila.

The words spoken by Gibson and those uttered in this week’s “Law & Order” episode are strikingly similar, though.

Among other things, Gibson was quoted as saying, “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world!” and “Are you a Jew?” He even threatened the cop, saying he’d “get even” with him, just as Carroll vows to “personally destroy” Det. Cassady’s career.

Reports of Gibson’s rant indicated it ended soon after it began. On the “Law & Order” episode – which was obtained by The Post yesterday – Carroll lets loose another volley later in the episode, this time to Det. Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin).

“You locked me in this room for an hour like an animal!” says Carroll, who is being held because, unlike Gibson, Carroll’s clothes were covered in blood when he was pulled over in Manhattan for running a red light. He, too, turned out to be driving under the influence.

“You work for leaches, detective!” Carroll shouts. “They suck the money out of this town – they send it to Israel so they can make bombs and matzoh!” Yes, this is an anti-Semite who equates “matzoh” with “bombs” – something no one has ever accused Mel Gibson of doing.

“Jews are always playing the victim,” Carroll complains. “All this time, I’m the one who’s been victimized!” In the “Law & Order” episode, titled “In Vino Veritas” (Latin for “There is truth in wine”), Carroll’s anti-Semitism seems to stem from his inability to find work, a situation he blames on Jews in the TV industry.

This being “Law & Order,” Carroll’s prejudice leads to murder, which was not the case with Gibson.

If there is anything noteworthy about this episode, it is in the vehemence of the Carroll character’s anti-Semitism, a prejudice whose expression is not often heard on TV.

While the statements might seem harsh, their potential power is softened by Chase’s half-hearted delivery. The good news is: As they have for thousands of years, the Jewish people will survive this episode of “Law & Order.”