Question for Roman Polanski Petition Signers: Is Rape Due to Duress Also OK in the Congo?
Tue, November 10, 2009 
Emma Thompson’s name will be removed from Roman Polanski’s petition this week, says Jezebel.
This is a correct move on Ms. Thompson’s part.
With a long and illustrious history of work on women’s issues, significant numbers of Emma Thompson’s fans were dispayed when she signed a petition, calling for Polanski’s release.
Especially for people supporting the criminalization of sex trafficking and numerous other women’s rights issues in nearly every country in the world, a suggestion that Roman Polanski get a pass on a crime to which he pled guilty is confusing, unsettling and indefensible.
Our readers expressed equal discomfort over Penelope Cruz’s signature on a Polanski-related petition. The first petition is housed on French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy’s website. The second petition, claiming to reject the manner of Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland, is an industry SCAD petition.
Caitlin Hayward-Tapp, a 19-year-old student at Exeter University – where Thompson’s adopted son graduated this year – arranged a meeting with the actress this week and was granted 15 minutes to try to convince Emma Thompson to change her mind about signing the petition.
A counter petition called “Drop the petition for Roman Polanski’s release” has also been launched.
Supporters of Polansky have pointed out the grim details of his life including losing his mother at Auschwitz and the murder of her wife Sharon Tate.
The systematic rape of women in the Congo is escalating. Increasingly in conflict zones, women are weapons of war.The realities of life are that young men in the Congo have also lived through innumerable atrocities. Should we grant them the same “pass” on raping and murdering women at random in the Congo?
Bill and Melinda Gates write on their foundation website “All Lives Have Equal Value”.
Much as Roman Polanski has sufferred, so do millions of other men in ravaged hotspots in the world. All violence from men against women is wrong. Period.
‘Journey’ Emma Thompson’s art installation about the miseries of sex trafficking on womenWe wrote earlier today about Emma Thompson’s sex trafficking installation ‘Journey’, which readers can experience in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park from now through Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. Anne
More Reading: Thompson ‘talked out of support for Polanski’ by 19-year-old student The Independent
‘Journey’ Into Sex Trafficking Darkness ArtTracker
Two Sensually Stunning performance from Penelope Cruz Smart Sensuality (see comments for my thoughts and our readers on the Roman Polanski case.)
Reader Comments (2)
Emma Thompson has proven herself to be a flake. She should not have signed the petition in the first place if she had not taken the time to research the matter and reach her own conclusion based on the available evidence. By contrast Natalie Portman whether one agrees with her or not has the integrity and courage to stick to unpopular opinions since she invests the effort required to actually form her own informed opinion.
Polanski pled guilty to unlawful intercourse. The actual contents of the plea should be considered testimony which was coerced and which may not be truthful. For example Polanski had to state he knew that Geimer was 13 although he later repudiated that in his biography. Geimer states that she thinks he knew but does not say how ? Polanski's belief about Geimer's age was important in 1977 since the law at that time allowed a defence by mistaken age. It should be noted that three witnesses stated that Geimer could have passed for around 18 thus there was a real possibility of such a defence being successful. Objectively what one has in this case is several pieces of conflicting testimony and opinions which mean that that truth is somewhere between Polanski thought that Geimer was at the age of consent and was willing and Polanski knew that Geimer was 13 and was not willing. The probation report concludes that there was evidence that the victim was "willing" . The bottom line is that if one is not guided by any particular agenda the conclusion at this point has to be that there is reasonable doubt as what actually occurred and what Polanski actually believed about Geimer's age at the time. The Polanski case would appear to be a very poor exemplar of the failure of the State to deal with the serious crime of rape !