Just in Time for Fashion Week: John Galliano Found Guilty of Racist Rant!

British ex-head of Dior convicted of "public insults" and fined more than $8,000 for his anti-Semitic slurs

By Marianne Garvey Sep 08, 2011 1:42 PMTags
John Galliano Stripped of Top French MedalAP Photo/Thibault Camus

The verdict is in on John Galliano.

The famed British fashion designer and ex-Christian Dior head was found guilty in a Paris court today of making "public insults" based on origin, religion, race or ethnicity.

The verdict comes just as New York Fashion Week kicks off and three months after his June trial, during which Galliano claimed he couldn't remember the scandalous incident when he hurled anti-Semitic remarks at a couple at a Paris café because of an addiction to Valium and booze. 

So what's his punishment?

The kooky designer was handed a "suspended fine" of 6,000 Euros, which is over $8,300 for his rant, which means he does not have to pay.

Galliano got himself in trouble back in February, after he ran into a French couple having a drink in an outside area of La Perle bar in the Marais District in Paris. They claim he verbally attacked them with insults about being Jewish and made fun of their appearance.

Another woman then came forward to say the designer did the same thing to her in the same bar the year before. And then to top it all off, a video was leaked of Galliano saying he loved Hitler, which was screened for the three-judge panel in the courtroom.

Galliano was quickly fired as creative director of Dior and publicly bashed by Natalie Portman, who was a brand ambasssador. He claimed at the time of the incident he had been under extreme stress and was having panic attacks that he was treating with a mix of pills and alcohol.

During his trial he apologized for the incident and for his behavior, saying he was "sorry for the sadness" the whole scandal caused.

Prosecutors had asked that the fallen fashion guru be fined $14,400 in the case. He could have also faced up to six months in prison. Looks like he got off easy.