John Galliano Loses Title Over Anti-Semitic Rants
French President Francois Hollande reportedly has stripped fashion designer John Galliano of his Legion of Honor medal because of anti-Semitic behavior.
French media reported that a presidential decree published on France’s official journal said Galliano may no longer wear the medal – France’s highest honor – which he received in 2009.
Last year Galliano, a British citizen, lost his job as design director at Dior after he was filmed making anti-Semitic statements.
A French court later ruled he had made “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity” in several incidents.
In one incident, Galliano stated his love for Adolf Hitler at a Paris bar and told people he believed were Jewish that their mothers should have been gassed.
He blamed his outbursts on addictions to drugs and alcohol. Galliano is 51 years old.
The text of the decree, which was published on Aug. 20, was not immediately available as French authorities issue such announcements only in printed form.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
