AIBU to think an Edinburgh festival show about Meredith Kercher's murder should be stopped?

[VivienneDelacroix]

Aibu to think that this show at the Edinburgh Festival should be cancelled? It mocks the circumstances around the murder of Meredith Kercher and serves it up as entertainment.

Not only is it horribly disrespectful of Meredith's family, but it also belittles the issue of violence against girls and women.

Meredith's siblings are calling for it to be pulled from the festival. There is also a petition calling for it to be stopped.

c.org/WXGTGJfpRh

Or she has now become addicted to the attention she gets

She isn’t stupid that she doesn’t know this will cause controversy and gain attention. What is she hoping to achieve

at some point not only Knox herself but promoters behind her have to question what is there to gain when again Meredith Kurchers family have their very personal pain through no choice of their own bought out into the public arena once again

Her story is hers to tell. She doesn’t owe Meredith Kercher’s family silence, or indeed anything.

She did nothing to them, and has been far more compassionate towards them than they have ever been towards her.

The Times have a review of its opening night up (2 stars), describing it as not really a comedy and more a life story with some gallows-humor quips.

A couple of quotes particularly relevant to the thread:

"So do Kercher’s sister Stephanie and the more than 10,000 people who have signed a petition to stop Cartwheel from being performed have a point? Really, no: not only does Knox not make fun of “rape and murder”, as Stephanie suggested, she only mentions her friend fairly briefly, and very earnestly. Kercher’s name, for good or for ill, doesn’t get mentioned until halfway through the hour."

"This show is a sincere yet stilted attempt to convey the aftershocks of awful events she treats more obliquely than sensationalistically, let alone facetiously".

And she has told her story in various ways many times, and she will continue to there has been a book a Netflix series, numerous interviews/podcasts

She is now telling her story in a way that is highly controversial she know this, promoters know this they also know it is painful for the Kercher family

surely decency comes into this, a young woman was brutally murdered her family have had their grief and pain constantly dragged back into to the media spotlight and now with a knowingly highly controversial comedy performance

it’s not only her story it involves a family whose lives were torn apart and can never truly heal

Some positive audience responses to opening night:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/amanda-knox-show-branded-profoundly-37527678

(Profoundly respectful, nothing offensive, emotional, genuinely funny, authentic, powerful, etc)

It doesn't sound as though there's anything controversial about the performance, though, just a(nother) rush to negative judgment.

It’s at a comedy festival in the UK where this will be most controversial and no surprise gain the most media attention- we all know this to be true

is there no comedy festivals in the states that Knox could perform her show at where it wouldn’t be so controversial and gain so much attention and once again the Kercher family have the media spotlight on them

Of course there are but it’s good business for Edinburgh and it’s good business for Knox herself

She can tell her story however many times she likes. It’s her story.

Amanda Knox was also a victim. The grief of Meredith Kercher’s family does not negate what Amanda Knox went through, and nor should it dictate how she chooses to deal with it. They treated her appallingly, and continue to vilify her despite her being exoneration. Their grief did and does not entitle them to behave however they want towards a woman that was in no way responsible for the murder of their loved one.

If I had gone through what she had, I doubt I would have treated them with anywhere near the amount of grace that Amanda Knox has done.

The irony of criticising another poster for shaming those with different opinions when you are signing a petition to silence and shame someone for doing a show you disagree with.

The Kercher family rather brought the spotlight on themselves, this time.

Knox announced the show back in May, and it flew almost entirely under the radar until the recent campaign against it - which the Kerchers launched through tv appearances.

I have never said she wasn’t a victim

What utter rubbish

of course it was going to hit the headlines as did the Netflix series here in the UK did

the promoters know exactly how this will play out and Knox herself has been in the media gaze for long enough to know as well

And yet it received no press coverage until 2 days before its opening night, when Stephanie Kurcher started campaigning against it, making appearances on the BBC and CNN (completely misrepresenting the show in the process).

I'm not sure how you can honestly maintain that they did not bring the spotlight on themselves and the show.

So the promoters (who have experience in promoting shows, research what will be popular and what will be controversial which equals free publicity and as the saying goes any publicity is good publicity especially for an event like Edinburgh) and Knox herself who has been on the public eye now for nearly 20 years didn’t have a clue that this would be picked up by the media and viewed as controversial and gain a lot of attention here in the UK

you are not so stupid to believe this was going to go under the radar

of course the Kercher family are going to speak out they do not want Meredith’s murder connected to a comedy show which is surely, no matter how much you want to defend Knox, is understandable

It was always going to create media controversy and interest and no better place than in the UK win win for Knox and the promoters

The show had already, quietly, sold out its entire run before the family started doing their high-profile media campaign against it.

Thrust into the spotlight my ass.

And I suspect much of the controversy is a result of their inflammatory misrepresentations about the content of the show.

Of course. A traumatized, victimized woman speaking up in an attempt to process what happened to her and to regain control over her own narrative simply must be a narcissist. You just can't make it up - and this on a women's forum! Do you go similarly overboard with regard to Monica Lewinsky, who's been dealing with her own ideal in remarkably similar fashion?

And people have offered similar opinions about Knox constantly for nearly two decades - with the true crime "community" (especially in the UK) forever dissecting her, spinning theories and peddling content about her.

"She should shut up and take it" seems to be the reaction of many.

Seriously, listen to yourself.

Perhaps some people don't want to see a convicted criminal with a recent three year sentance attempting to entertain a crowd of people.

Yep! Know seems to inspire a great deal of armchair expertise from people whose law and psychology degrees were gained from the university of the Facebook comments section.

People are entitled to discuss events leading up to a convicted criminal's account of events and object to her being given a comedy platform about the very case connected to that conviction. You might not like it but you have to respect that.

A petition isn’t silencing her; it’s people exercising their own right to object. Everyone has a right to do that.

Ok, for those that weren't aware. people need to Google 2025 and Amanda Knox which explains she's a convicted criminal and handed a three year sentence.

Amanda Knox has every right to talk about her experience but that doesn’t mean she has to do it in a manner that is upsetting to the family of the victim. And I’m sorry but she falsely accused her boss of the murder …and apparently has never apologised . something about that girl just irritates the shit out of me. Meredith lost her life and it’s pretty disrespectful.

She isn't not respecting it. The post you comment on here is discussion of the discussion, which of course people also have every right to engage in. The attitudes, decency and behaviour of those MNers who want the play not to happen are very much up for critique.