Designer John Galliano loses French title over anti-Semitic tirades

British designer John Galliano for French fashion house Dior appears at the end of his Spring/Summer 2011 women's collection during Paris Fashion Week in this Oct.r 1, 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Files

Fashion designer John Galliano reportedly was stripped of his Legion of Honor medal because of anti-Semitic behavior.

The newspaper Le Point, among other French media, reported that a decree by French President Francois Hollande published last week on France’s official journal said Galliano, 51, may no longer wear the medal — France’s highest honor — which he received in 2009.

Last year Galliano, a British citizen, lost his job as design director at Christian Dior after he was filmed making anti-Semitic statements.

A French court later ruled he had made “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity” in several incidents.

In one incident, Galliano at a Paris bar stated his love for Adolf Hitler and told people who he believed were Jewish that their mothers should have been gassed. He blamed his outbursts on addictions to drugs and alcohol.