Reasons to Picket -
Hamburg, Germany Scientology Center Being Demolished
From: GSNews
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Demolition Permit for Scientology Center submitted
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 05:29:13 -0400
Message-ID:
Sect Bunker's days are numbered
Hamburg, Germany
June 23, 1999
Hamburger Morgenpost
Demolition application in process: City Planning
Committee discusses office building in St. Georg
Alikazam, the sect balcony is gone: the owner of the
Scientology Center on Steindamm has filed a demolition
application. Yesterday evening the downtown City
Planning Committee was already conducting a hearing on
the new construction of an office building in St. Georg.
Downtown planning speaker Peter Gero verified the plans.
They say that a 50 meter high office building is to be
erected on the parcel with one-third of its space zoned
residential - this is the same height as the Philips building.
The demolition application for what is now a sect building
could be approved by the planning committee as early as
June or July - the wrecking balls could be swinging by
Fall.
A building permit for the new construction, however, will
have to wait until February 2000. The city planner
absolutely wants to avoid uninvited guests making their
way into St. Georg. Gero stated, "We absolutely want to
rule out the possibility that the Scientologists will build a
new palace there."
The psycho-firm has already been served with a notice to
vacate because of rent past due, allegedly in the amount of
millions of marks. The owner of the real estate at 63
Steindamm, formerly a Scientologist himself, had left the
U.S. organization. Other former members are using seizure
orders to demand a refund for the expensive Scientology
courses.
"The financial power behind the Scientologists is
dwindling," said Ursula Caberta, Scientology
Commissioner of the Interior agency. In northern
Germany, there is said to be about a thousand members.
Whereas 220 full or part-time staff were formerly being
paid by the Hamburg "Org," in 1998 the psycho-sect
reported only about a hundred full-time staff, according to
a Constitutional Security report: "The Hamburg
Scientology Organization no longer has the importance it
once had in previous years." It said that there is evidence
"of suspected political extremist activity."
Of special interest, in the beginning of the 1990s, the
activities of individual Scientologists brought Scientologist
real estate owners into the Hamburg FDP and the
businesses of prominent Free Democrats.
G. Beling
From: GSNews
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Does Scientology have to go?
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 06:57:16 -0400
Message-ID:
Owner wants to demolish Scientology Center
Hamburg, Germany
June 23, 1999
Hamburger Abendblatt Lokales
Apparently the days of the Scientology Organization in
their center in St. Georg are numbered. According to
information received by the "Abendblatt," the proprietor of
the building at 63 Steindamm wants to tear it down, and
possibly sell the parcel. An application for demolition has
already been filed at the downtown district office.
The Scientologists have already ruled out moving into the
new building as renters. Spokeswoman Gisela Hackenjos
said, "Our goal is to find something better in a different
part of Hamburg, the roof is leaking here worse and
worse." Outside of that, the relationship with the current
lessor, a real estate salesman from Itzehoe who used to be
a Scientologist himself, is very shaky.
Hackenjos replied that her organization had already given
notice at the start of the year due to outstanding rent and
has been presented with a notice to vacate from the
approximately 3,000 square meters of space: "When we
go, then we'll go because we wanted to."
On the theme of Scientology, NDR 3 broadcasts the 45
minute film "Missing in Happy Valley - The prison camps
of Scientology" this evening at 11:05 p.m. The piece by
Ina Brockman and Peter Reichelt deals with the
"rehabilitation" institutions of the organization, which it
officially calls "Rehabilitation Projects."
The methods, as instructed by sect founder L. Ron
Hubbard before his death in 1986, are portrayed with
which poorly functioning or confused members are once
again put on the path: hard labor, primitive housing and
deprivation of sleep. Famous former members put in their
piece.
The authors sought, but did not find, Wiebke Hansen, who
used to be President of the Hamburg Scientology
Organization until her sudden disappearance in 1995. Only
her brother, who has had contact with her, gets a say.
[An English transcript of the "Happy Valley"
program:http://cisar.org/990225j.htm ]
From: GSNews
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Caberta answers 3 questions
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 05:28:20 -0400
Message-ID:
3 Questions to the
Hamburg Scientology
Commissioner,
Ursula Caberta
Hamburg, Germany
June 23, 1999
Hamburger Morgenpost Vermischtes
Hamburger Morgenpost (MOPO):
What do you think about the Scientology Center being torn down?
Caberta:
That's great! Internally and externally the building has a
high symbolic value for the Scientologists. Their Hamburg
organization was once the most successful in the world -
today it's probably more like a tail light.
MOPO:
Is your biggest wish being granted?
Caberta:
Slowly. They're still not out of the city. They are making an
effort to find substitute quarters which are just as good. If
financially wealthy members of Scientology should make a
new building available to them, then we'll have to start the
next round.
MOPO:
How can sellers or renters protect themselves against
Scientologists?
Caberta:
They should ask for a written statement that the building is
not being operated in accordance with Hubbard
technology. We like to give advice.
From: GSNews
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Psycho-sect looking for a home
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1999 20:37:34 -0400
Message-ID:
Hamburg, Germany
June 25, 1999
Hamburger Morgenpost
Steindamm:
Scientology demands demolition
The Scientologists have given up and will leave their
company headquarters at 63 Steindamm: the psycho-sect
explained that they had filled in the rental contract which
was supposed to have run to the year 2013 in St. Georg
"because of a gigantic shortage of space."
Scientology spokesman Frank Busch said that the owner's
application for demolition was "the best thing that anyone
could have done with this condemned ruin of a building."
The owner of the real estate, a former Scientologist, had
put in for demolition of the structure and had filed a notice
to vacate because of back rent due - Busch said that
Scientology had decreased the rent because of cracks in
the wall, roof damage, water spots and defective heating.
For months attorneys from both sides have been working
on an out-of-court settlement. The move is planned for the
end of the year.
Ursula Caberta, Interior agency commissioner, warns:
"They'll make an effort to find a suitable substitute
quarters. If wealthy Scientology members should want to
put a new building at their disposal, we'll have to start a
new round." How could lessors or sellers protect
themselves? "They should include a written statement that
the technology of L. Ron Hubbard will not be used in the
building. We will gladly give advice." [telephone number
given]
The expert says that the building on Steindamm has a high
symbolic value to the Scientologists, both externally and
internally, "The Hamburg organization was once the most
successful in the world - today it's probably more like a
[fading] tail light." The central city district has plans for the
construction of a 16 story office building on Steindamm
(MoPo reported).
------------------------------------------------------------
German Scientology News
Unofficial translations from German-speaking countries
Index/link to over 500 articles - http://cisar.org/trnmenu.htm
Informational publications - http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News
For non-commercial use only Have a nice day
From: GSNews
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Hamburg org vacated by year's end
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:29:55 -0400
Message-ID:
Corrected in Message-ID:
Psycho-Sect must vacate Hamburg headquarters
Hamburg, Germany
August 12, 1999
Focus 32/1999
The fast times for the Scientology psycho-sect have gone
by; its members have been running away for years. How
bad its finances have been getting is shown in the course of
a rental procedure before the Hamburg State Court which
has to do with the headquarters in the St. Georg district.
The building's owner, an ex-Scientologist, had sued to
vacate for back rent in the amount of 1.6 million marks, and now
intended to settle after a months-long legal dispute: the
Scientologists have signed an agreement stating that they
will move out by the end of the year. Where to speaker
Gisela Hackenjos is not yet ready to say.
At the wish of those concerned, how much of its debt the
sect will have to pay back will remain confidential. The
only thing certain is that the symbolic building will be torn
down; in its place modern office buildings will be built.
Back Rent Due: At year's
end the lights will go out [ picture of org at night at
in the Hamburg http://cisar.org/990812a.htm ]
Scientology base in St.
Georg.
---------------------------------------------------
German Scientology News
Unofficial translations from German-speaking countries
Index/link to over 600 articles - http://cisar.org/trnmenu.htm
Informational publications - http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News
For non-commercial use only Have a nice day
