Roman Polanski Arrested in Switzerland
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Acting on an international search warrant issued by the United States, Switzerland has arrested Roman Polanski. The reactions to arresting an internationally acclaimed director on paedophile charges have been widely varied, but they raise some disturbing question to the world view of some people.
Swiss police forces have arrested Roman Polanski prior to an award night in Zurich. The famous director was due to receive an award for his life’s work at the International Film Festival of Zurich but was apprehended prior to the ceremony on arrival at the airport. The arrest was carried out on the grounds of an international search warrant issued by the United States pertaining to paedophile charges under prosecution in Los Angeles.
Roman Polanski is best known for films such as The Fearless Vampire Killers and Rosemary’s Baby. He was charged with and admitted to paedophile dealings with a 13 year old in 1977, but deemed himself too good to face the prison sentence going with his deplorable acts. Since then he has been in Europe, living it big like many other criminals protected by like minded politicians. But like most criminals, he became incautious and previously announced his intention of attending the ceremony, which gave the Swiss police finally the possibility to apprehend him.
American authorities already expressed their satisfaction over the apprehension and will now face the task of submitting the necessary papers to Switzerland to engineer an extradition of the director to the US. The legal way will be taking up quite some time as Poland already has offered consular help to the arrestee and the case will have to go through Swiss courts up to the high court in Lausanne.
Quite an opposite reaction was the statement of the Association of Directors which roundly condemns the arrest. They called the arrest a judicial farce and a cultural scandal. Such statements make me wonder if they have lost all grips on reality. I find it highly disturbing that people could imagine themselves to be above the law. The question must be asked if they really condone paedophile behaviour or if they are paedophiles themselves? But maybe I am too harsh and they are just stupid. That would at least explain the quality of their work at the same time.
Some deluded people have even taken to the streets protesting before the goal Polanski is held in. I do hope that some of them have or will have children and that they will have enough brains to imagine how they would feel if something like that happened to their daughter or son. I personally would never have stopped to find a criminal getting at my son had it ever happened.
Even more disturbing are reactions from the Polish and French government who expressed their surprise and horror at the execution of the arrest. It seems that even governments these days are controlled by paedophiles. At least it shows that politicians deem themselves above the law and that they have no intention to adhere to the principles stated in the French revolution that should be the principles of democracy.
Swiss Minister for Justice, Evelyne Widmer-Schlumpf, issued a rather dry statement. She said that Switzerland had acted on an international search warrant issued by the United States of America and was therefore bound by international treaty and international law to carry out the arrest. She stated that neither Swiss laws nor international laws are a cultural issue. In an add on she dared to wonder if the Association of Directors would have felt compelled to issue a statement if the arrestee had been a Mr. Smith instead of Mr. Polanski.
It seems, there are always people who think they are more equal before the law than others and that they might get away with anything.
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12 Comments
I once heard of this empending arrest way back in 1997. I’m so shocked that he’s just got arrested. Justice delayed, justice denied
Wow I am amazed. I did not know that and would like to know why this wasn’t big news when he was just wanted? If they made a big deal out of it the attention it would bring on him would have been huge, and would at the very least keep him from living it up!
Anyway, Good write.
Interesting write up. I agree with you that some people think they are above the law. If Polanski had been an ordinary member of the public, he would have been inside years ago.
Amazing article.
An arrest for 1977 incidnent in 2009? Too late
I cannot really formulate a cognitive response… I am glad that the extradition treaties are being obeyed and dismayed that people are saying this is petty. If it were bin Laden then hell, even in 30 or 40 years we’d still want his skank ass to stand trial. I wonder if the rape victim is rejoicing, surely she is and her family must feel some justice is about to be vetted. Forget Polanski’s age, he hid in a country that refuses extradition. Nazi war criminals did the same thing, and the fled their protective country every time that country came to embrace extradition treaties (and yes, a few times ‘agencies’ illegally extracted criminals illegally from their protecting country..0
Hooray! Another child rapist of the streets! Mr Polanski is disgusting as is any pediphile.And you can bet the child named in the arrest warrant wasn’t his only victim. Statistic state that before being found out a pediphile has generally 20 victims.
So Thank God another monster is behind bars.
It’s sad that such a eminent person like Polanski did that disgustful act. Anyway, it’s late but at least he is facing the justice.
Hi,
It’s interesting indeed to see how some think they are above the law and some politicians seem to forget that they shouldn’t try to influence justice !
Had it been an ordinary person, maybe he would have been sent to the US jails quicker but on the other hand, some also think that because it is Polansky, they tried to make some sort of example and that they went after him more than they would for an average person.
Apparently he owns a ‘chalet’ in Gstaad so he has been in Switzerland many times, why was he arrested just now when he was going to receive that award ?
Many questions are raised here but the right thing at the end is that he might finally face justice !
Thyanks for the article Lucas
No one is above the rule of Justful laws.
Good article to write but it would have been nicer to read more of a personal evaluation of Polanski’s arrest and the need of paedophiles to be charged for crimes than an echo of every tabloid or broadsheet in publication. Great subject choice though
It is never too late to prosecute a child rapist. Let’s just hope he gets to join the general population if he gets locked up.