1559 GMT: A few more details from Bloch's evidence: She says Galliano repeatedly used the word "Jewish" in an insulting way.
"He said it at least 30 times. It was almost non-stop". The designer also said the word "bitch" many times, the witness told the court.
1543 GMT: Virgitti confirms his written his statement that Galliano called him a "fucking Asian bastard."
1524 GMT: The trial coincides with the start of Paris men's fashion week, to include a show on Friday by Galliano's former employer Dior. Neither Dior nor Galliano's own label have yet named replacement designers.
1515 GMT: Bloch's friend Philippe Virgitti starts to testify about the February 24 events in La Perle bar in the Marais district.
1514 GMT: Questioned by the prosecutor about the alleged insults, Bloch speaks of her own anger, Galliano's calm manner but "the level of violence of his remarks".
She says Galliano stroked her hair, and says it was incorrect to say that he pulled or dragged at her hair.
1517 GMT: "I didn't want this incident to become create such a media storm. I just thought I had no other choice but to file a complaint that night."
1512 GMT: Bloch says stewards at the club suggested she should do "the intelligent thing" and leave the club.
"But I didn't think leaving was the intelligent thing to do. We ended up calling the police because noone in the bar came to help us."
1507 GMT: "He insulted everything about us from boots to make up... his skin was disgusting... he touched my hair and said it was shit," Bloch tells the court.
"I got worked up as well. Then we got to the words like "bitch" and "Jewish". It was clear they were gratituitous insults."
1505 GMT: Bloch blushes as she testifies from the bar behind the bench where Galliano is sitting. He doesn't look at her but keeps his eyes on the judge as she questions the witness.
1459 GMT: Geraldine Bloch starts her evidence.
1453 GMT: Galliano speaks of the stress of attending Robinson's funeral with his relatives, then returning to work on his collections.
The same thing happened with the death of his parents - he went back to work on the evening after the funeral and did not have the time to mourn, he says.
His body got used to taking various pills, to enable him to hold things together. He had anxiety and panic attacks and could no longer go to work without taking pills, the court hears Galliano say.
1451 GMT: Galliano says he began abusing drugs and alcohol in 2007 against the backdrop of financial crisis and the death of close friend Steven Robinson. "After every creative high, I would crash, and alcohol helped me escape," he said.
1449 GMT: Galliano says pressure of work grew as he developed his own Galliano fashion house as well as designing collections for Dior.
1446 GMT: Judge Sauteraud complains about imprecise translation of Galliano's statements from English into French.
Galliano's lawyer takes over translation duties.
1443 GMT: Galliano says he started to drink heavily in order to relax and reduce pressure after the euphoria of putting on a fashion show.
The interpreter complains of not being able to understand Galliano's accent.
1441 GMT: Testimony suspended because Galliano is inaudible. A second microphone is installed.
1437 GMT: Galliano tells the court: "I have an addiction. I am a recovering alcoholic, a recovering addict." He mixed valium and sleeping pills with barbiturates and alcohol.
1431 GMT: "I have no recollection" of making insults, he says. He doesn't remember the evening very well.
He speaks softly and calmly, looking at Judge Sauteraud. He says he can't remember how the situation got out of hand.
1423 GMT: Presiding judge Anne-Marie Sauteraud has returned to the court.
The hearing is expected to last about three hours. However, the verdict is not expected for several weeks.
1417 GMT: Galliano sits down on a bench to await being called by the judge. A woman, possibly an interpreter, sits next to him. He seems calm and they exchange a few words and smiles.
The presiding judge has taken a short break.
1410 GMT: The witnesses are led into the room set aside for them, ready to be called to the witness box one at a time.
1405 GMT: The presiding judge goes through the allegations that Galliano is facing. Galliano has to stand up to listen to them.
Galliano is alleged to have made the insults in English so the judge reads them out in English, such as "fucking asian bastard" and "fucking ugly jewish bitch".
The judge then translates them into French prompting titters around the court.
1402 GMT: Galliano's interpreter takes the oath and the various other parties to the case are presented to the court.
1400 GMT: One of the targets of Galliano's alleged stream of abuse told a French TV station today that the designer sat next to their table and for for 45 minutes delivered a string of insults about her appearance.
"First my clothes, then my body, then I was 'dirty'. Then he called me a 'dirty Jew'," Geraldine Bloch told news channel BFMTV.
1352 GMT: No more dramatic location could be imagined for the Briton's trial than the huge 18th century Palais de Justice, the most imposing building on the Ile de la Cite after the nearby Notre Dame cathedral.
Justice has reputedly been meted out on the site since Roman times.
1343 GMT: Galliano arrived by a side door at the historic Palais de Justice on the Ile de la Cite, thus avoiding the crowds hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
1334 GMT: Galliano has arrived at the courthouse, wearing a black shirt and jacket, with hair down to his shoulders, but no hat.
1331 GMT: Hamelle says the flamboyant designer has "been doing nothing" since his spectacular fall from grace.
"He's treating his addiction to alcohol and medication. He will think about his professional future" after the trial, the lawyer said
Dior sacked Galliano over the incident, saying his alleged behaviour and language was "particularly odious," sending shockwaves through the tightly-knit Paris fashion world.
1326: More quotes from Hamelle on the way into the court building: "He (Galliano) has had two months of treatment in the United States. He will offer an apology and seek forgiveness.
"We have scores of people who say he is an tolerant man, without hostility to religion."
1324: Galliano's lawyer Aurelian Hamelle has entered the courtroom but the designer himself has yet to turn up.
1322 GMT: Five people are expected to testify in the trial, including two women who were sat next to Galliano during the February 24 incident.
Galliano's lawyer has said varying testimonies show that there is some doubt about what was actually said.
1318 GMT: AFP's Amandine Ambregni, at the court, says the courtroom assigned to the Galliano case is filling up quickly though other cases are still going on.
1314 GMT: Galliano's lawyer Aurelien Hamelle tells journalists: "He is uplifted to come to the court. He is cured, he has had treatment. He will explain the state he was in.
"It was a pure pathological state. In this case, only one opinion is valid, that of the expert."
Because of alcohol and substance abuse, Galliano had "hallucinations, delirium, without any intention of causing harm," the lawyer said.
1309 GMT: A pack of journalists thronged the courthouse ahead of the Galliano hearing, scheduled to start in about 20 minutes' time, though possibly delayed a bit.
1300 GMT: Welcome to AFP's live report as John Galliano faces trial at the Paris criminal court on charges that he launched racist tirades in a Paris bar, which the fallen superstar is expected to blame on drug and alcohol addiction.
The 50-year-old couturier -- considered one of the finest fashion designers of his generation -- could face a sentence of six months in jail and a fine of 22,500 euros ($32,000) if convicted.
The British designer was arrested on February 24 after a couple in La Perle cafe in Paris's fashionable Marais district alleged he had subjected them to a stream of anti-Semitic abuse.
Galliano has issued an apology for his behaviour, but insisted it was not anti-Semitic. He has lodged a legal counter-suit against the couple in the first incident, alleging defamation.
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