Jewish group demands Jackson apology over anti-Semitic remarks

Nov 24, 2005, 3:31 GMT

Los Angeles - A leading Jewish group has demanded an apology from Michael Jackson after an anti-Semitic rant surfaced as part of a 64-million-dollar lawsuit against the controversial star.

The recorded telephone message, which was obtained by ABC News, allegedly features Jackson blaming Jews for his financial woes.

'They suck ... they're like leeches ... I'm so tired of it,' Jackson told former adviser Dieter Wiesner. 'The Jews do it on purpose.'

The message was apparently recorded two years ago, when Weisner was still working with Jackson. On Wednesday, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) demanded an apology.

'Michael Jackson has an anti-Semitic streak and hasn't learned from his past mistakes,' ADL director Abraham Foxman said in a statement. 'It seems every time he has a problem in his life, he blames it on Jews.'

Jackson previously infuriated Jewish groups in 1995 when his song 'They Don't Care About Us' included the lyrics 'Jew me, sue me, everybody do me, kick me, kike me'. Jackson apologized and later changed the lyrics.

The new comments surfaced as part of a lawsuit against Jackson by Weisner, who claims Jackson sold him the rights to market his image after having secretly sold the rights to another party. Weisner is claiming 64 million dollars in damages.

Wiesner also claimed that he was unjustly fired as Jackson's personal manager when Jackson's criminal problems surfaced in 2003.

In June, Jackson was acquitted of charges that he sexually molested a young cancer survivor. He currently resides in Bahrain.