Dior Suspends John Galliano Amid Antisemitic Remark Allegations

Vogue UK reports that John Galliano has been suspended from his position as creative director of Christian Dior, pending an investigation into alleged antisemitic remarks by the designer.

Dior CEO, Sidney Toledano, issued the following statement:

“Dior affirms with the utmost conviction its policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-Semitic or racist words or behaviour. Pending the results of the inquiry, Christian Dior has suspended John Galliano from his responsibilities.” – Sidney Toledano, CEO of Dior {Vogue UK}

According to a source who spoke with Sleek Mag, Galliano was somewhat inebriated – we’d imagine that’s normal at a bar –  when he tried to strike up a conversation with other patrons at Parisian bar Le Perle by shouting “cheers, everybody!” and raising his glass. This prompted a nearby couple who mistook the designer for a bum to  remark “you’re ugly,” to which the witne says Galliano responded “You’re ugly and you’re [sic] fucking bag is ugly too.” Further insults were exchanged, and the couple called the police to press charges.

Here’s where things become unclear: the AFP says that the designer was apprehended, the witness who spoke to Sleek Mag says the designer voluntarily went to the police station to give his side of the story without any grand arrest. As for the most controversial part of the story, the designer’s remarks are also in dispute.The witness says that Galliano called the couple “Asian,” but did not hear any comments about religion or anti-Semitism.

To American readers, the decision and the arrest may seem strange. Unlike the US, where someone like Mel Gibson can be accused of  making racist remarks and face nothing more than conviction in the court of public opinion, France does not recognize racial slurs as free speech, and comments which could be seen as damaging to a person’s reputation are not always protected either.