John Galliano Found Guilty By French Court in Anti-Semitism Case
EmailA French court has found fashion designer John Galliano guilty of anti-Semitic behavior in two complaints.
He could have been sentenced to a maximum of six months in jail. Instead, Galliano was fined 6,000 euros ($8,400), though the fines were suspended.
The former Dior designer was charged in connection with incidents in October, where he was accused of verbally abusing an English language teacher at Cafe La Perle in Paris, and in March where he ranted at a couple at the same restaurant.
Galliano swiftly fell from fashion’s highest ranks after a video of a third tirade at La Perle appeared on the website of the British tabloid The Sun in February. In the video, Galliano – apparently intoxicated – declares to the bar’s patrons, “I love Hitler,” says that “people like you would be dead,” and “your mothers, your forefathers” would all be “gassed.”
Charges were not filed in that incident, though the video was shown in court, according to Sky News.
Since joining Dior in 1996, Galliano, 50, has used his provocative sense of style to push the luxury label to the top of the fashion heap. Celebrities covet his creations; Nicole Kidman and Sharon Stone wore Dior gowns to this year’s Academy Awards. He was dismissed from Dior after the Parisian bar scandal.
“I fully accept that the accusations made against me have greatly shocked and upset people,” Galliano said in a statement released by his lawyers in March. “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.
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“I must work hard to gain people’s understanding and compassion.”
Yeah – I think you’re understood. Good luck with the compassion thing, dude.
Posted by: Aaron Ververs | September 8, 2011, 9:12 am 9:12 am
His views are reprehensible and expressing them as he did was outrageous. Neither should be illegal though. As far as I’m aware they wouldn’t be in the US where freedom of speech is still, rightly, seen as an absolute. ” I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire
Posted by: JOEHILL | September 8, 2011, 9:33 am 9:33 am
“He could have been sentenced to a maximum of six months in jail. Instead, Galliano was fined 6,000 euros ($8,400), though the fines were suspended.”
So if they weren’t going to punish him, why try him? What a worm.
Posted by: Office Goddess | September 8, 2011, 9:37 am 9:37 am
“His views are reprehensible and expressing them as he did was outrageous. Neither should be illegal though. As far as I’m aware they wouldn’t be in the US where freedom of speech is still, rightly, seen as an absolute.” Absolutely incorrect. The Supreme Court has ruled that freedom of speech is NOT absolute. Although he may not have been criminally charged for doing so, had his tirade been against blacks rather than Jews, charging that their forefathers would have been “lynched” rather than “gassed”, it would have been a much bigger deal in America than this was in France.
Posted by: Publius | September 8, 2011, 9:48 am 9:48 am
PUBLIUS: I did say “as far as I’m aware”. I’m not American, I’m a Brit, hence my ignorance. I am surprised by what you say. Our freedom of speech here in Europe has gradually been whittled away over the last couple of decades but I thought that the US still kept that flame burning bright and I’d be very disappointed to find that isn’t the case. You say “he may not have been criminally charged”. Don’t you actually mean he couldn’t have been charged as it wouldn’t have been a criminal offence? Which is the point I was making; in France it is a criminal offence, in the US it quite rightly isn’t. If others wish to shout him down that’s their right, their freedom of speech. It shouldn’t be a matter for the law though.
Posted by: JOEHILL | September 8, 2011, 10:02 am 10:02 am
PUBLIUS: Please don’t take my comments as a defence of this man’s views. I find them completely deplorable. But I also think that the freedom speech should and must include the right to say things others find deplorable.
Posted by: JOEHILL | September 8, 2011, 10:04 am 10:04 am
Yeah…good luck gaining that compassion you’re looking for. Can you say “Career over?”
Posted by: paisleychic | September 8, 2011, 10:10 am 10:10 am
Freedom of speech is limited in America. You cannot yell “fire” in a crowded theatre, for instance.
Posted by: MsT-mac | September 8, 2011, 10:29 am 10:29 am
Yeah, you and Mel Gibson, good luck gaining people’s understanding and compassion.
Posted by: rwk | September 8, 2011, 10:57 am 10:57 am
MST-MAC: Isn’t that the one, sole and only limit? And a necessary one. Galliano’s words endangered no-one, they were just offensive. France has an official list of ‘crimes against humanity’, to deny any of them is a criminal offence. And that’s just wrong.
Posted by: JOEHILL | September 8, 2011, 11:13 am 11:13 am
Arrested for this? What about Hoffa calling people sone of bi*ches. What about Biden and all Obma’s co-horts using the F word?
Posted by: ann | September 8, 2011, 11:21 am 11:21 am
Uh, no, JoeHill. You cannot utter words that would incite a riot either. In this case, in Europe, that may have been the result.
Posted by: MsT-mac | September 8, 2011, 11:41 am 11:41 am
John Galliano is unfashionable in every way.
Posted by: Governor Odius | September 8, 2011, 11:42 am 11:42 am
I like the “Official Crimes Against Humanity” in France, Joe Hill. Maybe something like that in America may have prevented slavery, for instance.
Posted by: MsT-mac | September 8, 2011, 11:42 am 11:42 am
“You say “he may not have been criminally charged”. Don’t you actually mean he couldn’t have been charged as it wouldn’t have been a criminal offence?” It would very much depend upon the circumstances. Had he created a hostile work environment with his comments, for example, I believe that he would have been in violation of the law and could have been criminally charged and fined if convicted, although most people would have taken civil action against him. And regarding your posts, I did not believe that you were defending his views, just whether he had the right to express his opinions as he did.
Posted by: Publius | September 8, 2011, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
“I like the “Official Crimes Against Humanity” in France, Joe Hill. Maybe something like that in America may have prevented slavery, for instance.” I doubt that.Societies have always been very careful to define who were, for lack of a better word, “people” entitled to the full benefits of the law. One of the arguments of pro-slavery elements was that African slaves were neither “civilized” nor “human” and that bringing them from Africa to America was actually in their best interests as it exposed them to what were considered civilizing influences. Even today one strategy of war is for each side to dehumanize the enemy by portraying them as as animals, subhumans, lunatics, etc. distinct from that society so that they fall outside the usual moral boundaries that prohibit injuring or killing another.
Posted by: Publius | September 8, 2011, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
This is a form of harassment, bullying and intimidation on the part of Galliano,
Posted by: phantomniter | September 8, 2011, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm
JOEHILL wrote “Galliano’s words endangered no-one” How do you think the holocaust began? Words. When we discuss illegal immigration, sometimes we have to be careful with our words, I’m against illegal immigration, however, my concern is the potential of scapegoating a group of people, it’s where I get concerned, no one should be victimized with words that could cause a potential of another holocaust, that is frightening, the blame should solely lie with the businesses that hire them but back to Galliano, his words cause hostility and bullying, that’s how it began in Germany.
Posted by: phantomniter | September 8, 2011, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm
Didn’t Hitler also execute homosexuals?
Posted by: Steve | September 8, 2011, 1:56 pm 1:56 pm
A gay italian hurling anti-Semitic slurs – what has this world come to?!
Posted by: Nyc_dr | September 8, 2011, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
NYC_DR: He’s not Italian. It pains me greatly to admit this but he’s a one of my countrymen, a Brit. He was born in Gibraltar (Gibraltarian father and Spanish mother) but grew up in London. No Italian connection at all.
Posted by: JOEHILL | September 8, 2011, 2:45 pm 2:45 pm
“One of the arguments of pro-slavery elements was that African slaves were neither “civilized” nor “human” and that bringing them from Africa to America was actually in their best interests as it exposed them to what were considered civilizing influences. ” ___________ Yeah, Publius, they were exposed to some real “civilized” people all right. People who traded them without regard for family connections. Beat them unmercifully, which is the good news. The bad news is that many ended up dead from beatings or shot for trying to flee. Women and girls were raped. . . you know the history, yet slavery advocates called this exposing Africans to “civilization. Wow. And Wow. As I stated a list of “crimes against humanity” would have prevented this, if brought before the UN as a Human Rights issue. Civil rights are just a tiny aspect of the spectrum of Human Rights.
Posted by: MsT-mac | September 8, 2011, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
MST-MAC: “a list of “crimes against humanity” would have prevented this” – The same way it prevented genocide in Rwanda in 1994? Or Burundi (1972), Cambodia (1975-79), Nigeria (1967-70), Serbia (1990s)? And many other places since WWII. The French laws don’t prevent anything happening, they just prevent anyone denying or minimising what happened after the event. Precious little gain, if any, and something very precious lost. Freedom of speech is either absolute or you just don’t have it. As we no longer do in the UK. Many of the things people post here about your current President would be illegal if said in a public place in the UK. The unpleasant and obviously racially motivated comments make the posters idiots, and far worse. But it shouldn’t make them criminals.
Posted by: JOEHILL | September 8, 2011, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm