The fashion designer John Galliano escaped immediate punishment yesterday despite being convicted by a Parisian court of hurling anti-Semitic abuse in two drunken incidents that cost him his high-flying career.
Galliano was given a suspended fine of €6,000 (Dh30,833), less than a third of the maximum financial penalty.
He could also have been jailed for six months, though only if the court had taken the unusual step of ignoring the prosecution's recommendation that fines were appropriate.
In reaching a decision some may see as lenient, the three judges appeared to have taken account of the professional disgrace Galliano has brought on himself. He was fired as chief designer of Christian Dior after his arrest in February.
Born in Gibraltar and raised in London, the 50-year-old Galliano did not attend court to hear the verdict.
He was found guilty on two counts of subjecting fellow customers in a fashionable Parisian bar to "public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity".
Despite claims that addictions to alcohol, sleeping pills and Valium meant he had no recollection of what he had said, Judge Anne-Marie Sauteraud concluded he had "sufficient knowledge of his actions" to establish culpability.
Galliano was found to have insulted other customers at La Perle, a bar in the Marais district, traditionally a Jewish quarter of the French capital.
The first episode to come to light concerned Géraldine Bloch, who said he told her: "Dirty Jew. You should be dead."
Ms Bloch turned out to work as a curator at the Institute of the Arab World in Paris and the French media had reported that she was not Jewish, though she was in the company of a male friend who was.
As Galliano issued indignant denials and threatened counter-proceedings, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun obtained a video clip of another incident, filmed on a mobile phone, showing him abusing two women in the same bar.
He appeared very drunk but could be heard saying "I love Hitler" and: "People like you would be dead. Your forefathers would all be f****** gassed." The video was shown to the court, although the women lodged no complaint and the incident was not part of the charges against the designer.
But in another encounter that was considered by the court, an English language teacher Fatiha Oummedour, 47, was said to have been subjected to anti-Semitic and racial insults.
Explaining Dior's decision to dismiss Galliano for his "odious" conduct, the chief executive, Sidney Toledano, said in March: "I very firmly condemn most firmly the statements made by John Galliano which are a total contradiction with the essential values that have always been defended by the House of Christian Dior."
Further embarrassment for the fashion house came when the Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, the "face" of its Cherle perfume, expressed disgust, "as an individual who is proud to be Jewish", at the outbursts. As a result, she said, she would "not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way".
After decades of distancing itself from the events of the Second World War, when an estimated 75,000 French Jews were deported to Nazi concentration camps, France has taken a firm stand on anti-Semitism in recent times.
In fact Galliano professed not to have an ounce of anti-Semitic blood and had been reported in the British press as speaking with pride about 19th-century Jewish ancestry of his own.
He disputed some of the accounts given of the incidents that led to his prosecution but admitted his conduct was offensive.
In a statement before his June court appearance, he said: "I have fought my entire life against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination having been subjected to it myself. In all my work my inspiration has been to unite people of every race, creed, religion and sexuality by celebrating their cultural and ethnic diversity through fashion."
His 15-year association with Dior over, Galliano has sought to rebuild his life and career. What the future holds is unclear; he has a shop in Paris but Dior owns a large stake.
In the summer, he paid tribute to Kate Moss, the British model who commissioned him to design her wedding dress, describing her loyalty as "my creative rehabilitation".
A member of Galliano's legal team said after yesterday's hearing that the court had reached "a fair and wise decision". Galliano wished to apologise for his behaviour and continue treatment for his addictions.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Associated Press
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
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Full time contracts
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Part time contracts
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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