John Galliano, the fallen designer who once showcased his work for the luxury fashion house Dior, has appeared in court to face charges of anti-semitism.

Galliano is accused of berating people in a Paris cafe with anti-Semitic comments in February. If convicted, he could face six months in prison and hefty fines.

The British designer was fired from Dior after reports that he yelled ethnic slurs at some customers in a cafe and told a woman that he loved Hitler and that her parents most likely had been gassed to death.

According to the French news agency, Galliano told the court Wednesday that he had problems with alcohol and drug addiction.

Galliano's lawyer has said before that the designer's behavior resulted from his problems with drugs and that he was in an “altered state” at the time of the incidents.