Polanski’s Defenders

Some pretty revolting blind eyes being turned in the movie world, as reported in the Herald:

Petitions from leading film directors and other cinema figures, including one signed by the celebrated Polish director, Andrzej Wajda, focused most of their anger on the Swiss authorities. The fact that the Polish-born Mr Polanski was arrested as he arrived to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich film festival was, they said, “a provocation”.

No a provocation is the fact he allegedly raped a 13 year old girl, and fled the country.

A leading French director, Bertrand Tavernier, said: “The Swiss are extraordinary. Here is a law which is supposed to combat drug-trafficking and evasion and the first victim they pick on is an artist.”

Oh how dare they pick on an artist. The shame, the shame. Artists are all good noble people.

He did not get arrested because he is an artist. He got arrested because he is an (alleged) child rapist.

The Swiss Economy Minister, Doris Leuthard, rejected suggestions that the arrest was intended to ease strained relations between Switzerland and the US. An extradition treaty between Washington and Berne obliged Switzerland to , without question, on any arrest warrant issued by the US authorities, she said. The international outcry on Mr Polanski's behalf implied that there should be a law for ordinary people and another for celebrated film directors, she suggested.

That is precisely what they are saying it seems.

In a radio interview, the French Foreign Minister, Mr Kouchner, said that the Californian and Swiss authorities had acted unreasonably. “It's a little sinister, this , to be quite frank,” Mr Kouchner said. “A man of such talent, recognised throughout the world … All this is not nice.”

Being arrested for is not nice I agree. Being raped as a 13 year old is even worse I would say. The only sinister aspect is that France has sheltered him for so long.

The jury of the Zurich film festival … accused the Swiss government of “philistine collusion” with the US.

Oh yes those cultural philistines. How dare they arrest a movie director for child rape. Don't those philistines know it is okay if you are an artist.

The jury's president, the American actress Debra Winger, said: “[The arrest] is based on a three-decade-old case that is all but dead but for minor technicalities.”

So if you flee overseas, then the case should be dropped if you do it for long enough.

When news of his arrest first came through I was thinking hey maybe they should not send him to jail. But the more the cultural elite complain about what has happened, the harsher I think the sentence should be.

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