The French Are Revolting

I thought that would get your attention but I hasten to add that this is not another tirade against my host country – well, ok – maybe it is.

The whole nation, it appears, is aghast at the detention of Roman Polanski by the Swiss authorities who have acted on the 30 year US arrest warrant still out for him. The (I'd love to be a celebrity) President (good old Sarko), the establishment in general and the French performance industry in particular (an oxymoron if ever there was one!), is railing against Polanski being detained, presumably fearing that extradition back to the US is on the cards.

I’m sure I don’t need to introduce you to his crime, and I don’t use the words ‘alleged crime’ because he pleaded guilty when he was originally arrested in the US, but for the French nation to try to excuse – no – the word is ignore, what he did because he is some sort of national celebrity is completely bonkers. Just because he fled to France after he did a runner from LA and settled here just shows that the French will grab anybody who has any semblance of talent and call them one of their own. They point to the fact that the sex was apparently consensual and that the lady in question has forgiven him and no longer wants him prosecuted – but so what?

The guy took advantage of a minor, irrespective of what her behavioral patterns were all about at the time and in most countries of the world, he would do time, and quite a bit of it.

I noticed that Kitty expressed a huge audible gasp last night when they read out his misdemeanor of drugging and having sex with a 13 year old girl - Kitty’s just turned 13. I waited for the inevitable and difficult to answer questions but there were none – not even about why the French wanted the case dropped. I bet right now, across France there are hundreds of cases similar to Polanski and all these people will be banged up for years, as they should be. Indeed, the Mayor of Vence, our nearest town, is currently incarcerated for abusing his own grandson so it’s not as if there’s an acceptance of this sort of crime in France. It's simply because the guy is a celebrity and France don’t have too many of those left, if indeed, they ever had any in the first place!