John Galliano blames addiction for anti-Semitic outbursts

Disgraced clothing designer John Galliano -- who was fired by the Dior fashion house after reports he'd used anti-Semitic slurs surfaced -- is blaming addiction for the outbursts.

Galliano is in court Wednesday (June 22) and could face up to six months in jail and/or a $32,000 fine if convicted. Prosecutors claim Galliano hurled racial insults at other customers in a Paris cafe in October 2010 and February 2011.

According to the BBC News, video in which Galliano was shown saying "I love Hitler" to two women in a cafe and telling them that their parents could have been gassed by the Nazis was used as evidence in court.



"All my life I have fought against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination, having been subjected to it myself," said Galliano after watching the footage.

But, the designer claimed, he has been battling addiction to drugs and alcohol since 2007. And, he says, the drugs were to blame for the rants since he wasn't in his right mind at the time of the incidents.

A verdict is not expected to be handed down immediately.