The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has rejected calls to cancel a sold-out comedy show by Amanda Knox, stating it is “not afraid of controversy.” The show, titled “Cartwheel,” has faced condemnation from the family of Meredith Kercher, Knox’s former flatmate who was murdered in Italy in 2007.
Stephanie Kercher, Meredith’s sister, said the show “normalises and trivialises violence against women.” A petition calling for the show’s cancellation has gathered more than 6,000 signatures. Knox, 39, was falsely imprisoned for Kercher's murder and acquitted by Italy's highest court in 2015.
Knox stated on Instagram that “Cartwheel is a show about motherhood, raising a daughter in a world that is unfair and dangerous for women.” She added that the petition contained “many false assumptions and completely mischaracterises the show,” and that it “honours Meredith Kercher’s memory.”
Tony Lankester, director of the Fringe Society, told BBC Radio Scotland that the decision for the show to proceed lies with Knox and the venue. Gilded Balloon Teviot, the venue, affirmed its commitment to freedom of expression and providing a platform for diverse voices.
Rudy Hermann Guede was convicted of Kercher’s murder in 2008 and released from prison in 2021.