Polanski's arrest a "cultural scandal"?

Here is an example of what we were discussing earlier, whether an artist is a superior being not subject to ordinary morality or even, in some minds, the laws of society. Roman Polanski, the distinguished film director ran away from American justice after being charged with having sex with a 13-year-old child. (Actually, as detailed below, what he did was even worse than that, but this was the lesser charge he agreed to plea to.) This was back in 1977. But now, en route to the Zurich film festival to pick up an award, Swiss authorities arrested him and are planning to extradite him to the United States. Some of his fellow film artists are appalled at the arrest. From Swiss arrest Polanski on US request in sex case:

In 1977, he was accused of raping the teenager while photographing her during a modeling session. The girl said Polanski plied her with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill at Jack Nicholson’s house while the actor was away. She said that, despite her protests, he performed oral sex, intercourse and sodomy on her.

Polanski was allowed to plead guilty to one of six charges, unlawful sexual intercourse, and was sent to prison for 42 days of evaluation.

Lawyers agreed that would be his full sentence, but the judge tried to renege on the plea bargain. Aware the judge would sentence him to more prison time and require his voluntary deportation, Polanski fled.

Zurich Film Festival organizers said Polanski’s detention had caused “shock and dismay,” but said they would go ahead with Sunday’s planned retrospective of the director’s work, including “Knife in the Water,” “Chinatown” and “The Pianist.” The festival runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4.
The Swiss Directors Association sharply criticized authorities for what it deemed “not only a grotesque farce of justice, but also an immense cultural scandal.”

Here is a defense of Polanski. Ironic conjunction: Polanski was the husband of Sharon Tate and the father of her unborn child, both of whom were murdered by Susan Atkins, who died last week.