Jean-Paul Guerlain Fined For Racist Insults

[Mame Biram Diouf]

A French court has convicted perfume maker Jean-Paul Guerlain of making racist insults on national television and fined him €6,000 (£5,000).

Guerlain, 75, an heir to his family's cosmetics empire, made the comments in a 2010 interview on France-2 television describing the creation of one of the company's most famed perfumes.

He said: "I worked like a nigger. I don't know if niggers have always worked like that, but anyway."

Several anti-racism groups filed legal complaints, and protests were staged in front of the Guerlain store on the Champs-Élysées.

Some called for a boycott of Guerlain products.

Guerlain apologised to black people in France during the trial, calling it an "imbecilic" remark.

He was convicted in a Paris court. The judge did not sentence him to any prison time, though the charge could have carried a sentence of up to six months behind bars.

"I am from another generation," Guerlain said during the trial, so part of the remark was "a common expression at the time". He also said he did so during a TV interview because he "wanted to make the journalist laugh and I regret it".

"I was anything but racist," he said, standing before the court with the help of crutches.

Lawyers for the SOS Racism association said Guerlain abused the national platform he was given.

The cosmetics company distanced itself from Guerlain, who had retired at 65 but remained a consultant.

Guerlain is the great-great-grandson of the founder of the company, now owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

[Raegus]

Unless that money went into the pockets of the people he insulted, pointless. Guy should either get jail time or be let free.

[Guest PROFIT MARGINS]

What's £5000 to a nigga can u please remind me!

[Fighting Weight]

^Pos

Plus, LOL at the way he dropped 'but anyway' at the end

[MARVELL]

daemonz be daemonz...coons be coons cos they still gonna rock whatever sh*t he's selling. speaking of France.

France said the shooting of 5 jews (and somewhere far far far far in the background of that included the shooting of a black and a muslim) is France's 9/11