(JTA) — British fashion designer John Galliano is returning to work in the fashion industry two years after he was fired from Christian Dior for an anti-Semitic rant caught on video.
Galliano has been hired as the creative director of the Paris-based fashion house Maison Martin Margiela, the company announced Monday.
Dior fired Galliano in March 2011 after he was filmed making anti-Semitic statements at a Paris bar. Galliano stated his love for Adolf Hitler and told people he believed were Jewish that their mothers should have been gassed. He later blamed his outbursts on addictions to drugs and alcohol.
A French court ruled in September 2011 that Galliano in several incidents had made “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity.” He was sentenced to a suspended fine and no jail time.
Following the anti-Semitic tirade, actress Natalie Portman, who was serving as a spokeswoman for Dior, issued a statement condemning Galliano and saying “I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way.”
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