Roman Polanski’s Friends Should Probably Shut Up

Director Roman Polanski attends Che Tempo Che Fa TV Show held at RAI Studios on November 23, 2008 in MIlan. Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images.

So, what about Roman Polanski, eh? Let me suggest that you can a) acknowledge that his arrest is scarcely an urgent priority, that b) there are questions to be asked about the original handling of the case, c) that the victim’s desire to see the matter dropped is noteworthy, though not of great legal import and that d) Polanski is probably not a threat to the public.

Nonetheless, the rush to defend the film-maker has been nauseating. Consider Robert Harris’s piece in the New York Times today:

I make no apology for feeling desperately sorry for him. The almost pornographic relish with which his critics are retelling the lurid details of the assault (strange behavior, one might think, for those who profess concern for the victim) makes it hard to consider the case rationally.