Galliano: I lost it on alcohol and drugs

SHAMED fashion designer John Galliano cannot remember an anti-Semitic rant he is facing criminal charges over because he was out of control on drugs and pills at the time, a French court heard yesterday.

The former Dior designer is on trial for allegedly using anti-Semitic slurs in outbursts at a Paris cafe, but he told the court he remembers nothing because of his “triple addiction” — to alcohol and two drugs.

Charges that the outspoken British designer insulted several patrons of a Paris cafe with anti-Semitic remarks shocked the fashion world and cost Galliano his job at the renowned French high-fashion house.

Galliano’s appearance at the one-day trial put him in the public eye for the first time in months. In a conservative look for him, Galliano was dressed in black with a polka dot neckerchief, sporting a pencil mustache and long hair.

He is charged with “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity” and could face up to six months in prison and €22,500 in fines. A verdict is not expected for a number of weeks.

Journalists, including fashion writers, packed the benches in the courtroom.

The famed designer was escorted to a front-row seat in the wood-panelled, gilded courtroom at the Justice Palace, sitting next to an interpreter as he faced the three judges presiding over his fate.

The judge went through the allegations that Galliano is facing and as he is alleged to have made the insults in English one of the judges read them out in English, such as “fucking Asian bastard” and “fucking ugly Jewish bitch”.

The judge then translated them into French, prompting titters around the court.

Asked about the specifics of the evening of February 24, 2011, when he allegedly derided a couple with anti- Semitic insults, Galliano repeatedly said that he remembered nothing.

“I have a triple addiction. I’m a recovering alcoholic and a recovering addict,” he said when asked why his memory was blank. He said he started drinking in 2007 and became addicted to alcohol, barbiturates and sleeping pills.

After his detention by police in February, Galliano said he underwent rehabilitation treatment in Arizona for two months and in Switzerland.

“After every creative high, I would crash and the alcohol helped me,” he said, adding that his creativity “helped make Dior a billion-dollar business”.

Asked why he didn’t tell police investigators about his addictions, Galliano responded: “I was in denial. I was still taking those pills and alcohol.”

A couple contends that Galliano made anti-Semitic comments to them in the cafe in February. Galliano was taken in by police for questioning, and a sobriety test showed he was drunk.

Another woman then came forward with similar claims about another incident in the same cafe in October. Both accusations are being addressed at the trial.

Days after the February bar incident, a video was broadcast on the website of The Sun tabloid showing an inebriated Galliano insulting a fellow cafe client, slurring: “I love Hitler.”

In court, Galliano described increasing work loads at Dior and his signature label, John Galliano, in part as a response to the financial crisis. “They kept me very busy,” he said, adding that he had not had time to mourn after the 2007 death of his right hand man and the 2005 death of his father.

After a judge invited him to comment on a video in which he delivers anti-Jewish insults, Galliano said: “All my life I have fought against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination, having been subjected to it myself.

“These are not the sentiments of John Galliano,” he said. “I do not have these views and I have never held them.”

French law prohibits public insults toward others because of their origins, race or religion.

If the court determines that the insults against the victims were heard by other people, it would be a crime and a conviction could lead to a prison term. If such insults were not witnessed, they would only amount to a petty offence and be punishable by a fine.