French court asked to ban Paris Scientology church
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PARIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A French prosecutor asked a court on Friday to
consider shutting down the Church of Scientology in the greater Paris area,
saying it engaged in "mental manipulation." "This is about protecting
potential victims," prosecutor Christine Forey told the court in Paris. "I
ask you to think about the penalty of dissolution due to the methods used
by Scientology," she said.
Forey charged the church, whose U.S. branch counts Hollywood stars
including Tom Cruise among its members, with attempted fraud, untruthful
advertising, and violation of people's rights by holding computerised files
on them.
The case is the first time the church has been taken to court in France.
The French National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, considers it a
sect as distinct from a religion.
The case was initiated by former members of the church, who complain they
were harassed after leaving in 1999.
The church argues that it is a spiritual movement and on Friday called
three members -- teachers at the universities of Helsinki, California and
Madrid -- as witnesses to testify that Scientology is, for them, a
religion.
The church in the United States, where it is recognised as a religion, said
on Thursday it would submit a complaint to the United Nations against
France for "violation of human rights."
Seeking to control the activities of sects, French legislators passed a law
last year making it an offence to abuse a vulnerable person through "the
exertion of heavy or repeated pressure or techniques" liable to alter his
or her judgment.
The law also allows courts to ban groups if individual members are
convicted of such existing offences as fraud or wrongful advertising.
Forey asked that the church be fined at least 300,000 euros ($263,200) if
it were not ordered to close.
She also requested that the group's leader in Paris, Marc Walter, 60, be
given a one-year suspended prison sentence.
"The methods of Scientology, its deceitful promises of results which call
for large donations of money, amount to a form of mental manipulation,"
Forey told the court. "The aim of this organisation is purely commercial."
Walter's lawyers argued on Thursday that there was nothing stopping any
member from leaving the group.
"If someone doesn't want to belong to the church anymore, we are not going
to hold them back, there's no sense in that," said defence counsel Bernard
Michel.
The court is due to give its verdict on May 17.
[Note: The
Scientology®
organization has at best estimate approximately
45,000 to 50,000 followers world wide -- contrary to the 8 million figure
that the organization has been claiming for the past few years or so.
While that number continues to drop (thanks in part to the Internet) few
of the remaining followers are even aware of the unending series of police
raids, indictments, and prison terms their leaders and fellow cultists are
subjected to routinely. Few are allowed to know about their organization's
criminal history, or its current racketeering activities. Even fewer of
the cult's remaining followers are privy to their messiah's written
policies which dictates the criminal behavior that keeps getting their
organization raided (see Xenu.NET for
suitable references of Scientology policy) Scientology management
is the problem, not the thousands of honest believers who are good,
honest citizens; themselves victims of Scientology - flr]
The name "Narconon"® is trademarked to the Scientology organization through one of their many front groups. The name "Scientology"® is also trademarked to the "Church" of Scientology. Neither this web page, nor this web site, nor any of the individuals mentioned herein assisting to educate the public about the dangers of the Narconon scam are members of or representitives of the Scientology organization.
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank