John Galliano became a key trending topic on Twitter today following news of his arrest in Paris for alleged anti-semitic remarks.
Released by police early this morning, the Brit designer has since been suspended from his role at Christian Dior pending the police investigation.
“Dior affirms with the utmost conviction its policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-Semitic or racist words or behaviour,” Dior CEO Sidney Toledano said in a statement. “Pending the results of the inquiry, Christian Dior has suspended John Galliano from his responsibilities.”
It is unknown whether the Dior show planned for March 4 will go ahead.
It’s in scenarios like these I wonder whether the speed in which Twitter can power such stories around the world is a good thing. If it turns out Galliano is innocent, which for his own sake as well as Dior’s is hopefully the case, has his reputation suffered irreparable damage nonetheless?
Pre-social media, the story would undoubtedly have been kept far quieter. Yes, it will have likely still been headline-hitting in relevant countries (and rightly so), but perhaps not on quite the same scale. Either way, it seems Dior has made the right move in suspending him, but is damage control all the harder with the advent of 140 characters?
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