The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed the statement from designer John Galliano accepting responsibility for his behavior and apologizing for his anti-Semitic remarks.
“His recognition of the pain and offense he has caused is a positive first step toward dealing with this issue and putting it to rest,” ADL’s national director Abraham H. Foxman said.
In a statement, Galliano stated Wednesday that “I know that I must face up to my own failures” and that “anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologize for my behavior in causing any offence.”
Foxman said ADL “is ready to work with Mr. Galliano to help him understand the consequences of his actions. Even if he was provoked, as he claims, there’s no justification for his bigotry.”
“We look forward to working with him to move forward in helping to repair the damage so that he can contribute once again toward the fight against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.”
Earlier, the Anti-Defamation League had praised the French fashion house Christian Dior for first suspending, then initiating dismissal procedures against its chief designer in the aftermath of his anti-Semitic outburst at a Paris bar.
In a video aired by The Sun, Galliano is shown taunting patrons and declaring that “I love Hitler” and that “people like you would be dead,” and “your mothers, your forefathers” would all be “gassed.”
In a statement, Sidney Toledano, chief executive of Dior Couture, condemned the designer’s words “in the strongest terms” and indicated that Galliano would face dismissal for the remarks.
“The fact that someone is brilliant in a certain field does not immunize him from facing the consequences of words that are hateful, bigoted or prejudiced. Galliano is a public figure with a high profile, but he is apparently also a serial bigot. That he has made remarks like this before does not minimize the pain his latest words have caused around the world, particularly among Holocaust survivors and their families,” said Abraham Foxman.