the D-day in France - the trial start 25 May 2009

[DCAnon]

Need moar popcorn

[Dulloldfart]

Hi Dart,

much as I would like this to be the beginning of the end of the cult in Europe, I doubt that will happen. There is mention that the Paris prosecutor wanted to drop the case. The case is continuing anyway but if the cult members are found guilty and the cult appeals then case against them then the case is almost certain to be dropped. You get these popularist things done in France to please the public but everyone knows that it will fail in the end. But do not be concerned. The stories coming out of the cult show it to be self-destructing quite nicely and it is only a matter of waiting and enjoying the show.

But if they are found guilty and banned and imprisoned, and they appeal, aren't they still banned and in prison while the appeal wends its lengthy way through the mists of time?

Paul

[FinallyFree]

TR's ARE OUT!!! CRAMMING OFFICER - get Alan Rosenberg into metered cramming STAT!!!

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/worl...0526-bm6z.html

OH HAPPY DAY!!!! Looks like the French are tougher than us Americans originally thought! I vote BLOCK PARTY at lronhubbard way if we succeed in banning $ilontolgy in France.

[8-8008]

Finally Free,

Thanks this is great. I love it.

[Free to shine]

From WWP http://forums.whyweprotest.net/15-me...edia-46255/11/

Source: Ces patrons qui perdent la tête pour la scientologie | Tribune de Genève

Quick translation:

Bosses who lose their head over Scientology
Bad moments for the sect before the Correctional Tribunal

JEAN-NOËL CUÉNOD PARIS | 28.05.2009 | 00:01

It was "Boss day" at the trial of the Scientology sect. Yesterday [May 27], the twelfth Correctional Chamber of the Paris Tribunal heard about two very different business leaders, both with a common passion for the Church of Scientology, which stands accused as a legal entity, along with seven of its directors, of organized fraud.

The first boss is now deceased, but Régine, his former employee, has maintained her participation as a civil party against the sect. This plumpish blonde mother is one of the rare plaintiffs with the moral strength to face the ordeal of the trial.

"Do you cheat on your husband?"

This plaintiff, now in her fifties, is not lacking in character. Looking slightly ill at ease in her black trouser suit, Régine described the pressure she endured: "Two months after being hired as sales associate for the real estate agency belonging to B., I was surprised by the fact that the salary I was promised did not match the sum I was paid. I spoke about this to my boss, who replied that it came from me, that there were problems. But I could resolve these problems by taking a communication course. Without mentioning Scientology. I found out that this course was given by the sect when I went to the address he gave me."

Régine noticed that the questionnaire she had to fill in resembled the test she took before she was hired, a test which she called "looney" at the hearing. And improper: she was asked whether she cheated on her husband! Régine refused to go further. Her boss was furious. He explained all the benefit she would get from the sect. B. became insistent, insulting, and threatening. Tired of resisting, she took two other courses. But she categorically refused to join the sect. Her professional life became hell. Her boss would not leave her alone and even harassed her when she was not working. Finally, seeing that Régine would never become a Scientologist, he fired her and evicted her from her apartment.

The case of the second boss, A., is particularly spectacular. Summoned as a witness, he preferred not to show up. It was his family that filed a complaint against Scientology. A. was at the head of a prosperous business in Britanny which specialized in prototypes of synthetic material. As a Scientologist, this company chairman poured considerable sums of money into the sect, up to 12% of the total payroll.

Scientology finally refunded 74,661 Euros, but later, A. again withdrew 76,000 Euros from his company for three organizations dependent on the sect. The company's workers eventually went on strike against their boss. The company has since been sold.

In addition, A. gave the sect more than 150,000 Euros from his family budget.

[FinallyFree]

From WWP http://forums.whyweprotest.net/15-me...edia-46255/11/

I hear the damn wall cracking..... I expect a flood.

[Lucretia]

Thanks for the information re France FTS. Here's hoping...

Try as I might, I cannot find any reference to the court case in our local paper in South Australia. The Advertiser used to be a very vocal critic of the sect, but it is rare to see anything about $cn these days. This is especially interesting, as just two weeks ago, the leader of the opposition in SA got seriously roasted for taking the premier to task over donations FROM Applied Scholastics as a front group for $cn (where they were supposed to get $20K from is..well...!) for special consideration of some sort. The papers turned out to be forgeries, so it was all a storm in a treacup. But, I would have thought that the trial in France would have been particularly interesting for our little no-news state. The silence however, is deafening.

I don't mean to highjack the thread - I just find it a bit mysterious. Maybe OSA has got some dirt.

[Free to shine]

Todat Tonight does it again!

The video isn't up yet, but this is a transcript of the show tonight in Australia. Interesting there is a senator who wants more investigation!
http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/art...entology-fraud

Scientology fraud

* Reporter: Bryan Seymour
* Broadcast Date: May 29, 2009

The church of Scientology is fighting one of the biggest battles in its 50-year history.

Forget Xenu the alien overlord and Tom Cruise's bizarre outbursts, this time they're in court facing serious fraud charges.

A woman in France alleges she was manipulated into handing over her life savings.

Bryan Seymour reports the case has ignited questions here about how Scientology minds its own business.

Scientology is under siege.

"Well in Germany Scientology isn't recognised as a religion and in France it's leaders are facing fraud charges," said Nick Xenophon, the Independent Federal Senator from South Australia.

In Paris a court will decide if Scientology fraudulently manipulated a woman into handing over $36,000.

"The only purpose of Scientology is to take money from people," said the French prosecutor in the case. He is seeking to have Scientology's leaders found guilty and fined over ten million dollars and to have the group banned from France altogether.

The French spokeswoman for Scientology was blunt in her assessment of the case: "�it's nothing really, it's bullshit really."

She added that the judge may have been influenced "by the media and the climate" to allow the trial to proceed, which is a serious and unfounded allegation.

Originally four people were accusing Scientology of fraud but two of them came to a financial settlement with the organisation.

The woman at the centre of the trial says she was walking past Scientology headquarters in Paris in 1998. She was approached in the street and offered a free personality test.

"She was humiliated and defrauded for a long time, she bought cases full of expensive books and cassettes all cloaked in this goal of self-improvement to become this incredible person," said the French Prosecutor trying the case

Not surprisingly, the test revealed she had shortfalls. She says she was told Scientology had the cure and was then scammed into buying books, courses, vitamins and even an electrometer, which is supposedly able to measure mental energy.

Scientology says the case is one of religious discrimination rather than the alleged fraud leading to members handing over their life savings.

"There's no witch-hunt, France respects freedom but even with religious freedom France can't ignore people breaking the law, if you have religious freedom if you can't do things that are above the law," said a French Government official.

After a nine year inquiry into the group, a French judge declared Scientology "...is first and foremost a commercial business."

Prosecutors allege the director of Scientology in France, Alain Rosenberg, and six other top officials preyed on vulnerable would-be followers "...with the goal of seizing their fortune by exerting a psychological hold."

Today Tonight were contacted by a woman who claimed she had been recruited into Scientology as a child and manipulated into handing over a vast sum of money. When Today Tonight approached Scientology to respond to her claims, they said the woman had signed a confidentiality contract with them and they sent their lawyers scurrying to court seeking an injunction on the story.

But that's not why Today Tonight decided not to show the interview. Her family asked that the the interview not be aired - and Today Tonight agree... her best interests should come first.

Federal senator Nick Xenophon says it's time to re-examine Scientology's claims as a religion and to change the laws to force the group to start paying tax.

"We need to have a close look at those laws because I think there's a lot of community concern that an organisation such as Scientology gets the huge benefits of having the tax exempt status as a religion," Senator Xenophon said.

Historically Scientology brands anyone who questions their organisation a religious bigot.

"This is not about religious bigotry, this is about accountability and I think it's pretty cowardly of an organisation to start accusing those that just want to question they way they operate, to make sure what they do is transparent, accountable and fair," Senator Xenophon said.

As always, the church of Scientology declined a request to be interviewed.

No doubt they'll be closely watching what happens in France.

"I think there is a role for regulators, for governments to have a very close look at these tactics because if they don't we'll continue to see more and more of these cases emerging where people's lives are being destroyed because they've handed over their life savings, they've handed over their inheritances to Scientology," Senator Xenophon said.

The cult information and family support network has branded Scientology a cult, not a religion and say ex-members can contact them for help and advice.

[8-8008]

Free to shine,

Nice. I like this article.

Here is mine which came out today. In french, sorry but basically, telling the story about my time in the SO, regging and what I was doing there to get money for the church. And that now I realized how I had been manipulated, harrass.....

See the comment at the end. The person must be a scientologist or OSA because he/she is saying that the stories from former scientologist have no values as they are critical lol. This is funny.

http://www.letelegramme.com/ig/gener...009-400304.php

[sallydannce]

Free to shine,

Nice. I like this article.

Here is mine which came out today. In french, sorry but basically, telling the story about my time in the SO, regging and what I was doing there to get money for the church. And that now I realized how I had been manipulated, harrass.....

See the comment at the end. The person must be a scientologist or OSA because he/she is saying that the stories from former scientologist have no values as they are critical lol. This is funny.

http://www.letelegramme.com/ig/gener...009-400304.php

Good for you 8-8008.

The gist of the argument which the commenter will be using is possibly a "study" the church of scientology commissioned from Lonnie D. Kliever, Ph.D.

The paper he wrote for the church is called "The Reliability of Apostate Testimony About New Religious Movements" in which the prof concludes apostates are unreliable persons to listen to. (easy to find on the net)

The church of scientology commissioned this study about 1993 (vague date here) to use to dead agent folk like us. It is quoted by the church but they generally forget to say "we commissioned this professor and he concluded..."

Rule number one: Be very careful with studies which have been commissioned - "paid for". They are slanted towards the requirements of the commissioning body/person (if they are not slanted how in God's name can they be used to the benefit of the commissioning body/person).

Independent research is more ethical. At the very least the opposing view would need to be laid beside this study for a balanced look.