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Brainstorm on future protests, anyone?

Anon678_

Patron
I've noticed a trend among my fellow Anonymous - We have realised that the scientologists basically just close up shop and stay home, with only the hard-core ones left. I'm wondering if you guys can come up with some good ideas for future protests, within our organizational constraints (at least in my city):
1. We can gather 100 people with 2 weeks notice
2. We can probably gather 20-30 at 1 weeks notice
3. We can get about 10 with 4 days notice, I estimate, AND with minimal exposure - that is, we'd be able to keep it secret until the day.

What should we do? Just keep protesting in public areas? My feeling is that that's been done twice already, and we need to innovate to keep momentum. Maybe specify a day to set up several scientology style stress tests in the main area of the city? (lots of people, advertised) Try and do only one, but do it on several different days? (fewer people involved = element of surprise) Try and surprise them at their building? If so, at what time?

My main idea is that we need to target them somewhere where they CANNOT back off. That is, if we try and go after their recruitment efforts, free tests etc, then they loose recrutiment if they back off, but if they don't we will be able to REALLY get to the members present. We are all well informed by now.

What do you suggest? Note that in some ways novelty of ideas is needed more than effectiveness.

(and sorry if this is in the wrong forum)
 

Div6

Crusader
Random flash raids to hand out anonymous Promo is good. It drives their guys off the street, and the unpredictablility unsettles them. EVen if only done for 20-30 minutes at a time, it disrupts their efforts.

If you can, putting up posters and flyers around the area keeps them busy looking for it.....
 

Zinjifar

Silver Meritorious Sponsor
What should we do? Just keep protesting in public areas?

The simple answer is 'yes'. Many small protests have even better results than rare big ones. All it takes is two people to 'shut down the org'. (Never picket alone)

But, naturally, larger protests are more fun :)

It's good to vary the message, and go thematic, but, Scientology has so many objectionable aspects that there's no shortage of themes.

Zinj
 

Zinjifar

Silver Meritorious Sponsor
And, of course, the biggest thing is to avoid even the implication of harassment, vandalism or intimidation. Something the anon protests have been very good with.

Being there is the point; it demonstrates to the 'Church' and public alike that Scientology is *not* well respected or liked.

Zinj
 

lionheart

Gold Meritorious Patron
I would suggest clogging up their lines of outreach to the public.

Their main tools are or were the free personality test, stress tests, leafleting, promo film viewings and book sales.

Why not set up small groups to be invited by the Scientologists to come in and do free tests. Take a long time, have lots of questions, tie up their testers and registrars with timewasters (you!) :D

Find out when they are running intro evenings (film viewings, etc) and all roll along and waste their whole evening with silly questions.

Promote your success and it will encourage more anons to copy you around the world. Give false names and addresses if they ask for them and that would clog up their postal campaigns too.

The scientologists are programmed to "disseminate" and it will dishearten them if they find their promo lines are getting clogged up.
 

lrnobs

Patron with Honors
I've noticed a trend among my fellow Anonymous - We have realised that the scientologists basically just close up shop and stay home, with only the hard-core ones left. I'm wondering if you guys can come up with some good ideas for future protests, within our organizational constraints (at least in my city):
1. We can gather 100 people with 2 weeks notice
2. We can probably gather 20-30 at 1 weeks notice
3. We can get about 10 with 4 days notice, I estimate, AND with minimal exposure - that is, we'd be able to keep it secret until the day.

What should we do? Just keep protesting in public areas? My feeling is that that's been done twice already, and we need to innovate to keep momentum. Maybe specify a day to set up several scientology style stress tests in the main area of the city? (lots of people, advertised) Try and do only one, but do it on several different days? (fewer people involved = element of surprise) Try and surprise them at their building? If so, at what time?

My main idea is that we need to target them somewhere where they CANNOT back off. That is, if we try and go after their recruitment efforts, free tests etc, then they loose recrutiment if they back off, but if they don't we will be able to REALLY get to the members present. We are all well informed by now.

What do you suggest? Note that in some ways novelty of ideas is needed more than effectiveness.

(and sorry if this is in the wrong forum)

Better weather is coming. If Scientology in your city still does "body routing" or personality tests outdoors then you could get permits and protest in the same general area.

Don't be concerned about targeting them where they cannot back off. The goal is public awareness and hopefully media coverage. The more the public knows the truth about the COS then the better chance of stopping their recruitment efforts and the more embarrassment current members will have.

To borrow a Scn quip, "be well known and well thought of", I am wondering if there could be Anonymous golf tournaments, car washes, and so on with most of the proceeds going to charity.
 
Last edited:

petraph33

Patron with Honors
I've noticed a trend among my fellow Anonymous - We have realised that the scientologists basically just close up shop and stay home, with only the hard-core ones left. I'm wondering if you guys can come up with some good ideas for future protests, within our organizational constraints (at least in my city):
1. We can gather 100 people with 2 weeks notice
2. We can probably gather 20-30 at 1 weeks notice
3. We can get about 10 with 4 days notice, I estimate, AND with minimal exposure - that is, we'd be able to keep it secret until the day.

What should we do? Just keep protesting in public areas? My feeling is that that's been done twice already, and we need to innovate to keep momentum. Maybe specify a day to set up several scientology style stress tests in the main area of the city? (lots of people, advertised) Try and do only one, but do it on several different days? (fewer people involved = element of surprise) Try and surprise them at their building? If so, at what time?

My main idea is that we need to target them somewhere where they CANNOT back off. That is, if we try and go after their recruitment efforts, free tests etc, then they loose recrutiment if they back off, but if they don't we will be able to REALLY get to the members present. We are all well informed by now.

What do you suggest? Note that in some ways novelty of ideas is needed more than effectiveness.

(and sorry if this is in the wrong forum)


What I noticed is when people are speaking out with real examples at the protests, this is what attracts most attention. Like the parents in Manchester for example. This has a real impact I think. I also think persistance is important, and another protest with even more persons attending in front of those orgs, with persons speaking out about Scn violations on freedom of speach, disconnection and other examples which can then be posted on the internet and newspaper websites would be most effective. Along with finding out when they have dissemination days or stress testing, bodyrouting etc and disrupting their activites. The second protests have attracted already a lot more media attention, so the third one is going to be even better. :yes:
 

alex

Gold Meritorious Patron
I've noticed a trend among my fellow Anonymous - We have realised that the scientologists basically just close up shop and stay home, with only the hard-core ones left. I'm wondering if you guys can come up with some good ideas for future protests, within our organizational constraints (at least in my city):
1. We can gather 100 people with 2 weeks notice
2. We can probably gather 20-30 at 1 weeks notice
3. We can get about 10 with 4 days notice, I estimate, AND with minimal exposure - that is, we'd be able to keep it secret until the day.

What should we do? Just keep protesting in public areas? My feeling is that that's been done twice already, and we need to innovate to keep momentum. Maybe specify a day to set up several scientology style stress tests in the main area of the city? (lots of people, advertised) Try and do only one, but do it on several different days? (fewer people involved = element of surprise) Try and surprise them at their building? If so, at what time?

My main idea is that we need to target them somewhere where they CANNOT back off. That is, if we try and go after their recruitment efforts, free tests etc, then they loose recrutiment if they back off, but if they don't we will be able to REALLY get to the members present. We are all well informed by now.

What do you suggest? Note that in some ways novelty of ideas is needed more than effectiveness.

(and sorry if this is in the wrong forum)

Heres a suggestion from a scientologist.

It will sound as if I am asking you to tone down your protest.

But consider:

Xenu on a sign or spoken is offensive to many scientologists. At the protest I attended on the 15th, the church moved a large airconditioning repair van, (uhaul size) in front of its front doors so that people inside would not see the word.

Yes you succeded in getting their attention, but then they buried their heads in the sand.

If you want to have a real effect on the people inside the buildings you are picketing, perhaps expose them to concepts that they CAN confront and that play on their doubts as to how well the church is actually serving their interests.

There are several threads on this board that are relevant:

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=5025

How about a sign that says: "WHY IS LRH NOT MENTIONED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF WWW.SCIENTOLOGY.COM?"

To a church scientologist this is a very blatant "outpoint", (something wrong). This would get them thinking. Xenu turns that off.

OR:

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=5037

And specifically http://www.forum.exscn.net/showpost.php?p=76854&postcount=5

The Creed of the Church of Scientology.

Read that and compare to how the church seems to actually operate....

Now you can not copy the whole thing onto a sign, its probably copyrighted, but if you could get copies of it legitimately, stick those on a sign and say read and compare, or some such.....

Or fair use on item per sign....

Those are things a scientologist is familiar with and would make them question what is going on.

Sure shout XENU, that is the churchs karma, but also.... communicate at their reality level in a way that makes it safe for them to look and think.

It would certainly be novel though if one picket occasion was XENU free and and correctly targeted at specific things wrong that are easy for the average scietologist to see and think about.

imho.

alex
 

lrnobs

Patron with Honors
Better weather is coming. If Scientology in your city still does "body routing" or personality tests outdoors then you could get permits and protest in the same general area.

Don't be concerned about targeting them where they cannot back off. The goal is public awareness and hopefully media coverage. The more the public knows the truth about the COS then the better chance of stopping their recruitment efforts and the more embarrassment current members will have.

To borrow a Scn quip, "be well known and well thought of", I am wondering if there could be Anonymous golf tournaments, car washes, and so on with most of the proceeds going to charity.

I am also wondering about charitable actions that could be done where everyone could still wear their masks and be completely anonymous. City street trash pickup, handing out cake, .... just thinking. And of course half the team would be carrying signs and handing out literature.
 

lrnobs

Patron with Honors
Earth Day.
Arbor Day.
If the local organizers have a problem with the masks then I am sure some local community will be willing to accept help.

I wonder if universities would care if once monthly anonymous walked the perimeter of the college picking up trash and carrying signs. The teens and twenty somethings are typical targets for Scn. They need to be educated.
 

Lynn Fountain Campbell

Silver Meritorious Patron
If you want to have a real effect on the people inside the buildings you are picketing, perhaps expose them to concepts that they CAN confront and that play on their doubts as to how well the church is actually serving their interests.
....

easy for the average scietologist to see and think about.

How about a sign that says "IF YOU LEAVE NOW, YOU COULD STILL HAVE KIDS THIS LIFETIME." When I was in, that would have made me think.

Lynn
 

alex

Gold Meritorious Patron
How about a sign that says "IF YOU LEAVE NOW, YOU COULD STILL HAVE KIDS THIS LIFETIME." When I was in, that would have made me think.

Lynn

That is ...impinging.... That might even impinge on the GE!

But you have to use that one at a sea org location rather than the local orgs... IE LA, clearwater etc not des moines, sacramento, buffalo etc.

alex
 

Escalus

Patron Meritorious
What do you suggest? Note that in some ways novelty of ideas is needed more than effectiveness.

1. Operation Reconnect should feature as many people outside of Scientology who are not allowed to contact family still inside as possible. They should be made available to the press together at any local protest they are at. theme is the Disconnection Policy.

2. Continue pickets by all means, but recognize that they will have a point of diminishing returns. At some point the street action will be secondary to the real game in the courts and in the offices of elected officials. There must me a concerted effort to contact lawmakers on many levels to let them know not only are there concerned citizens questioning this cult, but there are votes attached. In that vein, politicians backed by DM's PAC or cover organizations need to be outed BIG TIME.

3. My understanding is that a class action suit is being prepared on some level for a kind of clean-up operation in the future. There should be separate class action suits brought by public, ex-staff, and kids born into the cult.

4. The Amnesty Int'l opening for passport/kids has to be pursued harder.

5. Letters to the editor, phone calls, letters to politicians, complaints to existing sub-committees (a good list of this was on Enturb) and professional press releases - when possible - must be a constant. In Russia during the second world war the motto was "Comrade, kill your German" - ours should be - "Fellow anon, write your letter."

6. Stay fluid in all future plans.

7. By humor, blogging, attitude, postings, conversation and writings make Scientology a joke. Put them in a cultural box whereby an entire new generation looks upon them in the same vein as, say, disco. A stupid relic of a bygone age better off on the trash bin of history.

For starters.
 

Lovesnightsky

Silver Meritorious Patron
Anon in Plymouth UK have been protesting two at a time, or coming out individually at random times to give out leaflets. They have been very successful in closing down shop for the cofs.
One leafleter reported that he had a hard time giving out the flyers until he started shouting, "find out why Scientology is a Cult", then people would come to him for them!

The youtube channel below is from one protest where a scientologist actually attacked the protester physically at one of the random raids.
http://www.youtube.com/user/PlymouthScientology

During the protest on the 15th, the same scientologist tried to block this protester's way (note=this protester is physically disabled and was in his mobility scooter at the time!)
 

Colleen K. Peltomaa

Silver Meritorious Patron
Take a cue from "Wise Hat Man", Ken Hagglund, up here in Toronto. He has been staging impromptu protests in front of the Toronto Church since the late 90's. The building is decrepit and the staff demoralized.

I was there when one day a staff member from FLag came, calling himself the Church Landlord. He promised the staff to have a beautiful building. The poor, tired, demoralized staff gave him ever-so-grateful smiles of gratitude. The relief in the room could be felt physically. That was 3 years ago and the building is a dump. Staff should realize by now that Flag will not come through for them and when they don't, who will be at fault? The Toronto Org staff, of course.

Take a lesson from "Wise Hat Man".



I would suggest clogging up their lines of outreach to the public.

Their main tools are or were the free personality test, stress tests, leafleting, promo film viewings and book sales.

Why not set up small groups to be invited by the Scientologists to come in and do free tests. Take a long time, have lots of questions, tie up their testers and registrars with timewasters (you!) :D

Find out when they are running intro evenings (film viewings, etc) and all roll along and waste their whole evening with silly questions.

Promote your success and it will encourage more anons to copy you around the world. Give false names and addresses if they ask for them and that would clog up their postal campaigns too.

The scientologists are programmed to "disseminate" and it will dishearten them if they find their promo lines are getting clogged up.
 
That sounds kinda like the idea I had for messing with their minds. With a slight detour, I would pass by an Org building. Every day, I roll a die and whatever number comes up, that's how many secret flyers go up and cards get hidden.

Now, I've noticed that lately, there's always someone outside poking around, trying to find 6 flyers and cards, even if I've only put one up. The mere threat that there might be up to 5 missing ones they can't find seems to be driving them absolutly batty.

(BTW, good skill to learn is how to palm a card. (Amature Magic books should tell you how to do this.) Handy for secretly slipping a "YouFoundTheCard" card into a hiding spot even as they're looking.)
 
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