John Galliano has gone from suspended to unemployed after video of the designer making a number of disgusting comments surfaced yesterday.

The New York Times reports that Dior CEO Sidney Toledano, himself Jewish, confirmed that proceedings were moving from suspension to dismissal.

“He condemned ‘‘in the strongest termsâ€â€ Mr. Gallianoâ€s words, ‘‘which are in total contradiction with the essential values that have always been defended by the Christian Dior house.” – NYT

This follows a statement by recent Oscar winner Natalie Portman, who is also the face of Miss Dior Cherie perfume. Though her publicists wouldn’t allow her to comment in a question posed in the press scrum after the Oscars, Portman did speak out saying that she was “deeply shocked and disgusted by the video. As an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way.”

It’s not clear if the actress’ statement had any effect on the decision to move from suspension to firing.

Galliano maintains that he did not use antisemitic language in the incident which sparked the initial complaint, even going so far as to file defamation charges against the couple. Police are still investigating, and though Galliano faces a fine and jail time if he should be convicted, no official court proceedings have been announced.

Both the upcoming Dior and John Galliano fashion shows are scheduled to go ahead on schedule, though it’s highly doubtful that Galliano will fulfill his lawyer’s promise of appearing at the end of the show “as usual.”

Dior CEO, Sidney Toledano, issued the following statement:

“Dior affirms with the utmost conviction its policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-Semitic or racist words or behaviour. Pending the results of the inquiry, Christian Dior has suspended John Galliano from his responsibilities.” – Sidney Toledano, CEO of Dior {Vogue UK}

According to a source who spoke with Sleek Mag, Galliano was somewhat inebriated – we’d imagine that’s normal at a bar –  when he tried to strike up a conversation with other patrons at Parisian bar Le Perle by shouting “cheers, everybody!” and raising his glass. This prompted a nearby couple who mistook the designer for a bum to  remark “you’re ugly,” to which the witne says Galliano responded “Youâ€re ugly and youâ€re [sic] fucking bag is ugly too.” Further insults were exchanged, and the couple called the police to press charges.

Here’s where things become unclear: the AFP says that the designer was apprehended, the witness who spoke to Sleek Mag says the designer voluntarily went to the police station to give his side of the story without any grand arrest. As for the most controversial part of the story, the designer’s remarks are also in dispute.The witness says that Galliano called the couple “Asian,” but did not hear any comments about religion or anti-Semitism.

To American readers, the decision and the arrest may seem strange. Unlike the US, where someone like Mel Gibson can be accused of  making racist remarks and face nothing more than conviction in the court of public opinion, France does not recognize racial slurs as free speech, and comments which could be seen as damaging to a person’s reputation are not always protected either.