Antisemitic and racist remarks
Between October 2010 and February 2011, Galliano was involved in three reported incidents at La Perle, a bar in Paris, in which he was accused of making antisemitic or racist remarks. In the first, in October 2010, a woman later alleged that Galliano had directed antisemitic insults at her. In a separate incident in December 2010, Galliano was recorded on video saying that he loved Adolf Hitler and telling two women that people like them would have been killed in the Holocaust.
On 24 February 2011, Galliano was involved in a third incident at the same bar, in which he directed antisemitic remarks at museum curator Géraldine Bloch and racist insults at her companion, Philippe Virgitti. Dior suspended him the following day and announced on 1 March that it had begun proceedings to dismiss him as its creative director.
The remarks drew public responses from figures associated with Dior and Galliano. Actress Natalie Portman, then a Dior spokesperson, said that she was "deeply shocked" and would not associate with Galliano. French actress and model Eva Green, who is Jewish, said that she did not believe Galliano was antisemitic and attributed the remarks to his intoxication.
Galliano was prosecuted over the October 2010 and February 2011 incidents. The December video concerned a separate incident and was not the subject of an additional charge, although it was shown during the proceedings. His lawyer argued that the outbursts occurred while Galliano was experiencing work-related stress and addictions, and Galliano said that his mental state had also been affected by the death of his friend and business partner Steven Robinson. On 8 September 2011, a Paris court found Galliano guilty of public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity and imposed suspended fines totalling €6,000.
Galliano later pursued an unfair-dismissal claim against companies associated with Dior and his namesake label. On 21 November 2013, the Paris Court of Appeals rejected an attempt by Christian Dior Couture SA to transfer the dispute from the Conseil de prud'hommes (Labour Court) to a commercial court and ordered Christian Dior Couture SA and John Galliano SA each to pay Galliano €2,500 plus court costs. Galliano, who had sought approximately €6 million in compensation, subsequently lost the unfair-dismissal case and was ordered to pay €1 to each opposing party.
