Daily Front Row

2011 February 28

Dior Without Galliano? C'est Sûr

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John Galliano
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(NEW YORK) The tide appears to have turned against John Galliano, who only yesterday still appeared to have a future at Christian Dior. Today, the allegations that the Christian Dior creative director made racist and/or anti-Semitic remarks during a Thursday altercation at Parisian cafe La Perle have been made undeniably plausible by the release of a video by the British tabloid The Sun (watch it here). In the video, which was presumably filmed by a fellow patron of Parisian cafe La Perle, a visibly-inebriated Galliano is seen drinking wine and slurring, "I love Hitler ... People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f*cking gassed." It is not clear when this video was filmed or who, exactly, filmed it.

Galliano's lawyer, Stéphane Zerbib, has produced statements from three witnesses (including the designer's chauffeur, who was present at the café during the Thursday altercation with Geraldine Bloch and Philippe Virgiti) that claim Galliano never made any racist or anti-Semitic remarks on Thursday evening. On Friday, Galliano filed a claim of defamation, injury and menace against Bloch and Virgiti.

Meanwhile, WWD reported that a third individual filed charges against Galliano on Saturday morning, alleging that she, too, was the victim of racist remarks made by Galliano at La Perle several weeks ago. All three parties were scheduled to meet in Paris today in the police station of the third arrondissement; the outcome of that meeting has not yet been reported. Expect big announcements from both Dior and Zerbib first thing tomorrow.
ASHLEY BAKER