S-Awards

Much, Much Better

Contra Celsum has voted to bestow its prestigious S-Award on the French Government.

This is the first time the award has been given to a government, let alone the French Government. The Award Committee, however, has deemed it prudent to disclose its complete political and commercial independence. Neither the Committee, nor any of its members have any conflicts of interest in this particular award.

Citation:

We blogged yesterday on the Roman Polanski affair. We took the position that a fundamental principle of Christian political philosophy and doctrine of civil government is that no-one is above the law. The pleading to put Polanski in a special category where he was treated unlike other citizens was disgraceful to the plaintiffs and wrong in principle.

Now, thankfully, some European governments have rethought their earlier positions. the MailOnline reports:

The Roman Polanski saga took a dramatic twist today after the French government dropped it support for the film director, who is facing extradition to the US on child sex charges.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's administration has so far stuck by the 76-year-old, who was born and lives in Paris, saying he should be released from prison.

But government spokesman Luc Chatel said Polanski should face justice because he 'is neither above nor beneath the law'.

Mr Chatel said: 'We have a judicial procedure under way, for a serious affair, the rape of a minor, on which the American and Swiss legal systems are doing their job.'

Polanski, who has duel French and Polish nationality, was arrested under a 31-year-old American warrant on Saturday as he arrived at Zurich airport to attend an awards ceremony in the Swiss city.

He is accused of having unlawful sex with 13-year-old Samantha Gailey in Los Angeles in 1978, before fleeing the country and spending the intervening period as a fugitive, mainly living in Paris. . . .

But a backlash against Polanski has been led by French filmmaker Luc Besson, who said: 'I have a lot of affection for him, he is a man that I like very much... but nobody should be above the law.

'I don't know the details of the case, but I think that when you don't show up for trial, you are taking a risk.'

There were also strong signs that Poland, where Mr Polanski went to live as a young child, was changing its view.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk distanced himself from the letter to Mrs Clinton by asking his ministers to show 'greater restraint' in defending Polanski.

He added that despite a 'leading Polish director' being involved, it is still a case of 'rape and of punishment for having sex with a child'.

British MP Denis MacShane has called on the Council of Europe, of which he is also a member, to support Polanski's extradition to the US, saying he the director 'should be held accountable' for his actions.

This is very, very much better. Roman Polanski "neither above nor beneath the law".

S-Award Class II is bestowed upon the French Government for actions in the course of duty that are smart, sound, and salutary.