A day after being fired by Christian Dior — and becoming an unwilling YouTube star for his racist tirade in a video shot by a bar patron — fashion designer John Galliano has apologized for his behavior.
In a statement released by a British law firm, Galliano, 50, said: "Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologize for my behavior in causing any offense."
But the designer also said, "I completely deny the claims made against me and have fully co-operated with the police investigation."
He claims that he was the victim of an "unprovoked assault" that included an attempt to hit him with a chair. That charge seems related to some eyewitness accounts, which have described a couple sitting near Galliano mistaking him for a drunk bum.
Sleek magazine cites one witness as greeting Galliano's cry of "Cheers, everybody!" with the response: "You're ugly, you're disgusting, move away from here."
According to the witness, things escalated from there, with the designer responding, "You're ugly and your ****ing bag is ugly, too."
Galliano also said that he has begun legal proceedings to pursue what he called "defamation and the threats made against me."
In the statement, Galliano says he is "seeking help and all I can hope for in time is to address the personal failure which led to these circumstances and try and earn people's forgiveness."
You can read the complete statement here.
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