John Galliano was facing new claims of racism last night after a video emerged of him launching a tirade of anti-Semitic abuse at two women. The 50-year-old British fashion designer told the women, whom he thought were Jewish, that he ‘loves Hitler’ and that their parents should have been ‘gassed’.
Galliano has already been arrested and suspended from his job as chief designer at Christian Dior after two other women complained to police about suffering anti-Semitic abuse, a crime for which he could be jailed for six months. But yesterday when he went to a police station to meet some of his accusers Galliano insisted: ‘I’m no racist.’
Galliano is one of the world’s leading fashion designers and his past clients include Princess Diana and French First Lady Carla Bruni. Kylie Minogue, Madonna and Kate Moss are among his close friends and fans.
The video, which has been posted on the internet, was filmed at the same Paris bar where he allegedly launched a drunken racist rant against two people last week. Filmed last December at La Perle, the video shows Galliano nursing a drink while sitting alone at a table, and then referring to the Nazi Holocaust. Galliano says to two unnamed Italian women : ‘People like you ought to be dead, your mothers, your forefathers would all be ****ing gassed. I love Hitler.’
When one of the women asks ‘Do you have a problem?’, Galliano replies: ‘With you, you’re ugly.’ The same woman says : ‘Where are you from?’, and Galliano replies: ‘Your ****hole’.
One of their male companions started videoing the incident because he was so shocked.
An unnamed 48-year-old woman has made a formal complaint to police that she was also subjected to anti-Semitic abuse by Galliano at the same bar last October. She is believed to have come forward after publicity about the case of Geraldine Bloch, 35, and Philppe Virgitti, 41. Ironically none of the four women involved is Jewish – despite the alleged verbal assaults having taken place in Le Marais, Paris’s traditional Jewish quarter.
Galliano’s lawyer, Stephane Zerbib, insisted that the video on the internet has ‘no value’ and that Galliano has ‘never’ been anti-Semitic while working at Dior, which has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards such behaviour. He faces being sacked by the fashion house following an investigation.
Galliano has already been arrested and suspended from his job as chief designer at Christian Dior after two other women complained to police about suffering anti-Semitic abuse, a crime for which he could be jailed for six months. But yesterday when he went to a police station to meet some of his accusers Galliano insisted: ‘I’m no racist.’
Galliano is one of the world’s leading fashion designers and his past clients include Princess Diana and French First Lady Carla Bruni. Kylie Minogue, Madonna and Kate Moss are among his close friends and fans.
The video, which has been posted on the internet, was filmed at the same Paris bar where he allegedly launched a drunken racist rant against two people last week. Filmed last December at La Perle, the video shows Galliano nursing a drink while sitting alone at a table, and then referring to the Nazi Holocaust. Galliano says to two unnamed Italian women : ‘People like you ought to be dead, your mothers, your forefathers would all be ****ing gassed. I love Hitler.’
When one of the women asks ‘Do you have a problem?’, Galliano replies: ‘With you, you’re ugly.’ The same woman says : ‘Where are you from?’, and Galliano replies: ‘Your ****hole’.
One of their male companions started videoing the incident because he was so shocked.
An unnamed 48-year-old woman has made a formal complaint to police that she was also subjected to anti-Semitic abuse by Galliano at the same bar last October. She is believed to have come forward after publicity about the case of Geraldine Bloch, 35, and Philppe Virgitti, 41. Ironically none of the four women involved is Jewish – despite the alleged verbal assaults having taken place in Le Marais, Paris’s traditional Jewish quarter.
Galliano’s lawyer, Stephane Zerbib, insisted that the video on the internet has ‘no value’ and that Galliano has ‘never’ been anti-Semitic while working at Dior, which has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards such behaviour. He faces being sacked by the fashion house following an investigation.
