An event at London's Royal Festival Hall featuring a woman discussing her rape with the man who attacked her has sparked protests and debate. Thordis Elva, from Iceland, and Australian Tom Stranger appeared together on Tuesday evening for 'South of Forgiveness', a dialogue about the impact of Stranger's crime. Protesters outside the venue chanted 'Get the rapist out', while campaigners argued the event could normalise sexual violence.
The discussion was originally scheduled for the Women of the World Festival but was dropped after pressure. It was later rescheduled by the Southbank Centre, whose artistic director Jude Kelly said the debate was too important to silence. 'Rape is one of these critical issues and we need to shift the discourse around it,' she stated.
Elva was 16 when Stranger, then 18, raped her after a Christmas party in Iceland. Years later, she contacted him, and he confessed. They co-wrote a book and gave a TED talk viewed over 2.7 million times. Stranger has not been paid for appearances and donates book profits to charity, but critics say he still benefits from 'cultural capital'.
Liv Wynter, an artist and rape survivor, argued that rapists should not be given a platform. 'Even if he's not getting paid, he will benefit from the cultural capital and the media buzz,' she told the BBC. Elva, however, insists the aim is to shift focus onto perpetrators, not victims, and to 'demonstrify' attackers.
