26 Jul 2000

"roger gonnet" <roger.gonnet@worldnet.fr>

Yep,

I've picketed the event given in Lyon by scientologists for 2 and half hours yesterday, between 2.30 pm and 5 pm.

I had not decided of an exact way to do it before, as I was comng there first to observe how people react, what they were doing outside of the café that they had rented for some days between 10 and 20 in the evening, near the lyon's "quartier latin" - I mean similar to the Paris quartier latin.

Probably they were unable to find out some place to rent into the center of that area, so, they had choosen something at its limits, where most people don't walk slowly.

In fact, I observed them from 5 to 50 meters for 2 and a half hours, with small stops here and there to disappear behind a block.

I Was wearing a Xenu tee-shirt (not marked Xenu, but with the image of Xenu, you know, the sort one finds in CW).

Well, that's mainly catastrophic for them as far as I've seen: first, perhaps no more than a group of a few person every 3 or four minutes, coming around the corner where they were. Very few people accepted their leaflet of invitation; I did not take one. They were offering roses (mostly, two or three scienos offering roses, the remaining ones either in or out of the café to lead them inside.

The entrance of the bar was blocked by two large panels wearing photos and texts of whatever scieno things , with "THe religion of Scientology" marked big, and one could not see what was happening inside. People seemed to lead tests or so on the second floor. Few people to accept those tests.

Most people to whom their leaflets were given were youngsters, from 8 years old, the largest group being around 15-18.... I dunno what they hope to do with 8 years old kids, boy!

As soon as they got their invitations or roses, I was running after them , and giving them a xenu leaflet with the 365000 dollars cost, plus my site's adress, and spoke with them for some seconds or minutes each, to inform them that I was countering the leaflets and declarations done some meters from where I was... I did it even at 10-20 meters from them without them seeing it! I distributed some tens of leaflets myself. Almost as many as they had given roses or people in, because in that area, most people did come my way, not the other way.

I saw the criminal Jean-Jacques Mazier, the one who was sentenced to 3 years jail in France for homicide, fraud and extortion: he came there on an old honda motorcycle, valued perhaps 1000-1500 dollars [probably, i'm no expert in such], while he's a rich guy (unless he gave everything to the clams to organize his bankruptcy so as not to pay the 500000 FF amends and the 240000 FF damages due to the family). That could very well be the sort of thing they do here.

That guy has at least more and more to eat, he's become still 15 kgs more than during his condemnation in Appeal court in july 1997. Must weight 115 kg now, looks greasy, grey and ugly. Definitely unsympathetic. And despite his sentence, he's still trying to convince people to become clams? Must also be an idiot.

They were about 10 inside or outside; one of them, a big blond 45 or 50 guy, wearing a blazer with "Crusade for religious liberty" large knitten badge, came with what could be one of the clam responsible for the event, a 55 or so small thin woman, came with her to the next café -I was just before it distributing leaflets since hours, and started a comm with her: I sat the next table, and listened to what they said. The guy himself could well have been a raelian - not a scieno, or another cult's member. I was mostly unable though to hear exactly what they were speaking of (and would'nt say, as it was private, in any case), as there was too much nise in the street - it's a pedestrian traffic only one.

When I had no longer leaflets but two, id went to them, and a girl tried to invite me inside; I could have done it, but i had seen some of the scienos were known to me as I was present some weeks ago at another of their events, so, I declined, saying that I knew more about scientology that herself... she retreated, probably understanding who I was, or recognizing me; and I went to my targeted guy some paces there, he offered me a rose, I declined, but as I was more in comm with him, I offered him a leaflet, saying that he'll see that he could be immediately forbidden to read it; seconds later, an exec (?) came and said him that he should'nt lose time [with me] that its was unuseful! I re-said the guy: read it, don't let them to stop you reading it (he had said he was since some years in scngy, but was'nt an SO, and looked dubious about being in the SO].

I left then, having done my observator-picketer job! I'll see if I do more later.

Figures: for the period I was there, they had probably given 50 roses.

Now the reactions of those to whom I distributed leaflmets: even youngsters were very aware of the clam dangers, they knew "that's a sect, we know", or things like it.

Only a couple having probably been inside for 30-45 min and handled answered, when I gave them some few words, "Oh, fine, with your [leaflet] we'll learn that was not true" or such wording showing they had doubts instilled.

Another - a 45 or so with his [daughter]? stopped by me, we chat: he had had his company in formation and a scientologist of the area wanted to be one of his associates, bu-t he recognized bit by bit that it was a scientologist and declined further relationships with him, and he had learned more about the scam later!

I'd say that the ratio of people informed must be over 80 %... and I don't speak of those visibly running through the street to avoid being stopped/harrassed :-))

Last info: none of them is ever more than 10 meters from the central point, so, my plans to try to inform one of them about the dangers was'nt possible to follow.

--
roger gonnet
Le Secticide
<http://home.worldnet.fr/gonnet
et
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