last I knew, child rape wasn't an issue of morals

[primroseburrows]

From the UK Guardian:

Release Polanski, demands petition by film industry luminaries

Here's what the petition says:

We have learned the astonishing news of Roman Polanski's arrest by the Swiss police on September 26th, upon arrival in Zurich (Switzerland) while on his way to a film festival where he was due to receive an award for his career in filmmaking.

His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals.

Filmmakers in France, in Europe, in the United States and around the world are dismayed by this decision. It seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.

By their extraterritorial nature, film festivals the world over have always permitted works to be shown and for filmmakers to present them freely and safely, even when certain States opposed this.

The arrest of Roman Polanski in a neutral country, where he assumed he could travel without hindrance, undermines this tradition: it opens the way for actions of which no-one can know the effects.

Roman Polanski is a French citizen, a renown and international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom.

Filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians - everyone involved in international filmmaking - want him to know that he has their support and friendship.

On September 16th, 2009, Mr. Charles Rivkin, the US Ambassador to France, received French artists and intellectuals at the embassy. He presented to them the new Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the embassy, Ms Judith Baroody. In perfect French she lauded the Franco-American friendship and recommended the development of cultural relations between our two countries.

If only in the name of this friendship between our two countries, we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski.

Wait, what? A case of morals? The guy DRUGGED, RAPED, AND SODOMIZED A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL. Sure, he plea-bargained the charges down, but that just changes the sentence, not the facts. And so what if he's "a renown and international artist"? If he'd been a poor Mexican immigrant, would anyone protest his extradition? I'm thinking, um, lemme see...no.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if his "freedom" is taken away. His original sentence was FORTY-TWO DAYS, after all.

Comments

[meresy.livejournal.com]

aaaaaghjdsfdgfhkm

This whole thing gives me rage.

>:(

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Rich and famous white male privilege is even worse than regular white male privilege. It's disgusting.

[meresy.livejournal.com]

Seriously. How can they have it only one way? If the fact that he's a rapist doesn't mean his art is bad, then his artistic contribution to film shouldn't have anything to do with the fact that he did an absolutely disgusting thing and needs to held to account for it. Don't care how long ago it was, either. You don't get out of it just because you run away.

ARGH.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

See, he's not a rapist because he wasn't convicted of rape, d'you follow? He was convicted of "having sex with a minor"so it's an issue of mere morals (as if even that pathetic little charge wasn't a crime). Doesn't matter that he gave her alcohol and drugged her first and the "sex" happened while she was saying "no, stop!" over and over. Because naturally, if the courts say it wasn't rape, then it wasn't rape, and he's just an innocent victim of injustice.

Ew. I think I'll go throw up now.

[mrs-laugh-track.livejournal.com]

JESUS FUCK. This just. I can NOT deal with all the bullshit Polanski defense that I've read in the last couple days. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaage! RAGE.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

And there's probably gonna be more before it's all over. I'm trying to think of an appropriate metaphor for the whole thing; the only word that comes close is CLUSTERFUCK.

[mrs-laugh-track.livejournal.com]

I am rather fond of SHITSHOW for situations like this. Because well, show of shit. Show of shitty behavior, shitty thinking, shitty privilege and so on. Shitshow.

shitshow!

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

See, now, this is a new word for me. *adds to New Words List*

[patchfire.livejournal.com]

The girl in question, though, wishes they'd drop the charges. She actually wants it all to be over, understandably. I feel bad for her - she talks about how she feels the courts have done her more harm than Polanski. I'm not saying he should get off scot free, but this DOES have to be awful for her.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Of course she does, and I don't blame her. My feeling is that maybe she shouldn't have to testify, since her testimony's all written down and besides, the charges against him that have anything to do with her have been dealt with. It'll be in the news, but it'd be in the news no matter what happens.

Also, it wouldn't be another rape trial, it'd be about him being a fugitive from justice. Because if he gets away with it, then he gets away with it, y'know? White male privilege wins again. Maybe dealing with the issue might even stop some other young girl from going through what this one did.

(Oh, and on a totally unrelated subject. Would you be up to doing a DC trip sometime in the near future? I could take the train down, we could hang out and tour things, it'd be ed-u-cational for the kids, and all kinds of other fun stuff!)

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Yes to everything you said, and furthermore, I don't CARE if there was proscecutorial misconduct thirty years ago, he still flipped the bird at the US justice system for 32 years while making tons of money off the US film distribution system. He could have resolved this YEARS ago, dealing with whatever problems existed in the original case at the time. Oddly enough, I am not really a Law and Order kind of gal, but this one truly pissed me off.

Gee, I hope they don't tell the other inmates that he drugged and raped a child...

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Gee, I hope they don't tell the other inmates that he drugged and raped a child...

Maybe he'll go to a prison run by Puritans where nobody watches television or listens to the radio.

Seriously, though, if he even does time I'll be shocked. From what I've read, the angle they'll be going after (if they get the extradition at all) is whether "due process" was happening on account of the judge in the original trial doing his own investigating behind everyone's back. Which could very well mean they'll throw the whole original verdict out. And since double jeopardy is illegal, he'll get off scot-free.

[diamond-dust06.livejournal.com]

Is that an case of double jeopardy? I thought it'd be more akin to a mistrial so he would be tried again. Assuming the victim were willing to testify =/ This whole thing is so mind-bogglingly stupid, holy shit.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you may be right. He was already convicted, but if they find corruption, I guess they can throw the whole thing out. I still doubt he'll do any real time, though, because, hey, he's an Artist. Grr.

[junesrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, just read what patchfire linked to; ok, I know it was rough on her, and I can't imagine or pretend to know how she felt. The media sucks big time, and I'm sure has not left her alone...BUT, THANKYOU for bringing this up. The fact that so many people are defending the jerk is beyond my comprehension. I mean, WTF???????? The guy commited a crime. A CRIME. Holy mother....*shakes head*

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I feel awful for her, but I also think that making Polanski an example might help some other little girl to not get raped(and yeah, thirteen is a little girl, no matter what a thirteen-year old girl might tell you--trust me, I raised two of them ;)).

[effervescent.livejournal.com]

Right, because it's all about his freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom.

So furious about the whole thing.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Who knew that film festivals were so sacred that the law shouldn't apply to them?

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Apparently there's some legalese somewhere about child rapists being able to roam free for the sake of Art. Who knew?

[ackonrad.livejournal.com]

Rich people really do think they can get away with about everything, do they? And why shouldn't they, after all, Polanski escaped justice for 30 years.

I can't believe the audacity of them going public with their abolishing of his crime, though.

He is a child rapist. He is not supposed to have personal freedom. Such people should be locked and never let out, and if it was someone else, he should've been.

*is disgusted beyond belief*

[ackonrad.livejournal.com]

I mean *would've* been. :)

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

He is a child rapist. He is not supposed to have personal freedom.

Such a simple concept, I have no idea why people don't get it. But then, they don't seem to get "health care is a human right", either. :/

[newleaf31.livejournal.com]

I'm really grateful that you posted this. I saw Debra Winger on TV today reading a scathing statement from whatever Hollywood organization it is that was going to honor Polanski, except that he got snagged when he came into Switzerland. It was all snooty with words like "archaic" and stuff, as if it was just unthinkably draconian that this a$$hole was actually arrested for getting a CHILD drunk and doing all kinds of crap to her when she was freakin' THIRTEEN. Now, I am about as liberal as it's possible to be most of the time, and I try really hard to be incredibly open-minded. But MY GOD! I cannot see how there is any alternative to understanding that Roman Polanski is a pedophile and a rapist who has, until now, gotten off almost scot-free (aside from being banished from the U.S., which obviously hasn't killed him at all) for what he did. I was starting to think, though, that I might have slipped into some kind of alternate universe where what he did somehow isn't such a heinous crime....

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I was starting to think, though, that I might have slipped into some kind of alternate universe where what he did somehow isn't such a heinous crime....

This idea is way more plausable than the one saying that child buggering is nothing but a morality issue.

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

By their extraterritorial nature, film festivals the world over have always permitted works to be shown and for filmmakers to present them freely and safely, even when certain States opposed this.

So if you want to commit crimes and flee justice with impunity, all you need to do is become a filmmaker? Also, not giving people up to governments that want to throw them in gulags =/= SHIELDING RAPISTS.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

So if you want to commit crimes and flee justice with impunity, all you need to do is become a filmmaker?

Next up on FOX News: Dick Cheney talks about his new film.