Sacked by Dior, Galliano releases apology for antisemitic insults

PanARMENIAN.Net - Fashion designer John Galliano has been sacked by fashion and cosmetics company Dior following accusations that he made antisemitic and racist remarks during a drunken rant.

Christian Dior stated the creative director had been sacked for ‘odious behavior’ following an investigation and public release of a video.

Galliano, who reinvented the Miss Dior Cherie fragrance in 2005, is alleged to have aimed antisemitic insults at two women in La Perle bar, situated in the Marais area of Paris. Following the allegations made from a couple over remarks made by Galliano, that resulted in him being questioned by police on February 24, Christian Dior immediately suspended its relationship with him, pending the outcome of the police investigation.

Galliano denied making the remarks, and police also said they had no third-party witnesses, however a video showed Galliano appearing in an inebriated state, making remarks towards two more female diners. With the public release of the video, Dior announced it had commenced termination proceedings against Galliano, cosmeticsdesign-europe reports.

U.S. actress Natalie Portman, who is the face of the Miss Dior Cherie Eau de Parfum, and is also Jewish, publicly released a statement condemning Galliano. “I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the comments of John Galliano released in this video today. In light of this video and being proud to be Jewish, I do not want to be associated with Mr. Galliano in any manner whatsoever,” she said. “But I hope at the very least that these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful,” the Oscar-winning actress added.

According to The Independent, on his lawyer's advice, the couturier kept quiet, after he was sacked. But no sooner had he issued an "unreserved" apology, in which he accepted that accusations of anti-Semitism made against him had "greatly shocked and upset people", he learnt that prosecutors in Paris had decided to put him on trial over the affair.

"Since the events of last Thursday evening I have not been able to make any public comment on what took place based upon advice from my French lawyer. However, given the continuing delays at the French Prosecutor's Office I should make my position clear. I completely deny the claims made against me and have fully co-operated with the police investigation. A number of independent witnesses have given evidence and have told the police that I was subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing," Galliano said, quoted by X17Online. "For these reasons I have commenced proceedings for defamation and the threats made against me. However, I fully accept that the accusations made against me have greatly shocked and upset people. I must take responsibility for the circumstances in which I found myself and for allowing myself to be seen to be behaving in the worst possible light. I only have myself to blame and I know that I must face up to my own failures and that I must work hard to gain people's understanding and compassion."