Galliano told the court that he began abusing drugs and alcohol in 2007 against the backdrop of financial crisis and the death of a close friend.

Photograph by: Francois Guillot, AFP/Getty Images

Fashion designer John Galliano told a French court Wednesday that he suffers from a triple addiction to alchohol, valium and sleeping pills as he went on trial on charges of anti-Semitic abuse.
The 50-year-old couturier — considered one of the finest fashion designers of his generation — risks six months in jail and a fine of 22,500 euros ($32,000) if convicted of subjecting cafe patrons to an obscene tirade.
"I have an addiction. I am a recovering alcoholic, a recovering addict," he told the court, after judges read out witness testimomy about his outburst in a bar in Paris’ fashionable Marais district in February.
Galliano said he began abusing drugs and alcohol in 2007 against a backdrop of financial crisis and the death of close friend Steven Robinson. "After every creative high, I would crash, and alcohol helped me escape," he said.
He said he had "no recollection" of having made anti-Semitic remarks.
Galliano looked relaxed in the stately wood-panelled courtroom, dressed soberly in a black jacket and loose silk trousers, long hair brushed back over his shoulders, as presiding judge Anne-Marie Sauteraud read the charges.
He was accompanied by his lawyer Aurelien Hamelle and a burly, bald-headed bodyguard who sat two rows behind him.
An interpreter whispered the proceedings into his left ear as Sauteraud quoted Galliano as having allegedly called a fellow cafe patron a "fucking Asian bastard" and another a "fucking ugly Jewish bitch".
Asked by the prosecutor if she was sure John Galliano had used the word "Jewish", his alleged target Geraldine Bloch replied confidently: "Yes, several times ... it was one of the most recurrent words."
She said Galliano had begun by mocking her "cheap boots", moved on to insult her figure and finally called her "a dirty Jewish bitch".
"The tone was not at all funny. I didn’t laugh at any time. There was no humour," she said, complaining that since she lodged a complaint her world had been turned upside down and reporters had bothered her at home.
To barely suppressed giggles in the packed court, the judge translated the obscenities into French, then proceeded to read a lengthy and highly detailed report of what allegedly took place at La Perle on February 24.
That was when Galliano was arrested in a drunken state after Bloch and Philippe Virgitti alleged he subjected them to a stream of anti-Semitic abuse in the trendy bar.
Another woman, Fathia Oumeddour, later came forward to say she was the victim of a similar assault in October last year, and then a video surfaced of Galliano insulting someone else in the same bar.
Oumeddour’s complaint was also part of Wednesday’s proceedings.
Galliano has apologised for his behaviour, but insisted it was not anti-Semitic. He has lodged a legal counter-suit against the couple in the first incident, alleging defamation.
But in footage posted online by Britain’s Sun newspaper, a seemingly drunk Galliano tells another couple in the same Paris bar: "I love Hitler".
He adds: "People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be fucking gassed."
The release of the video prompted fashion house Christian Dior to sack the illustrious designer, saying his behaviour and language was "particularly odious", sending shockwaves through the Paris fashion world.
Five people were set to testify Wednesday, including two women who sat next to Galliano during the February 24 altercation who say they did not hear him say anything anti-Semitic.
But two Italian friends of the woman who was allegedly insulted by Galliano last year are set to confirm her version of events.
Galliano’s lawyer Aurelien Hamelle has said that the varying testimonies show that there is some doubt about what was actually said.
What he knows is that his alleged insults "do not reflect what he thinks. He’s not anti-Semitic or racist," he said.
"He’s treating his addiction to alcohol and medication. He will think about his professional future" after the trial, the lawyer said.
Photographers gathered outside the packed courthouse and the press gallery was full as the court awaited the arrival of the couturier.
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AFP June 22, 2011 9:37 AM