Will Galliano Go To Jail?

By Nathan Burstein March 4, 2011

John Galliano could be headed from the fashion house to the big house.

French prosecutors have confirmed they’ll [press charges][1] against the disgraced designer, who was fired from Christian Dior this week after the release of a video that showed him launching an anti-Semitic tirade at a Paris cafe last fall. Galliano told shocked onlookers, “I love Hitler,” and that their relatives would have been “f—ing gassed” by the Nazis.”

[1]: http://cocoperez.com/2011-03-04-john-galliano-to-stand-trial-over-anti-semitic-remarks/?from=PH Veritable lynching: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13036591

Though a few of his fashion-industry colleagues have expressed support for Galliano, the designer is not getting any sympathy from the French justice system, at least so far. Prosecutors say the designer will stand trial later this year, where he could receive a sentence of up to six months in prison and fines of as much as 22,500 euros (roughly $31,000). The designer will face charges of making “public insults based on the origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity” of his Jewish victims.

French prosecutors aren’t the only ones already involved in legal maneuvering. Galliano’s lawyer is seeking to portray his client as the victim of the incident, saying he suffered a “veritable lynching” in the wake of the video’s release.

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