======== Subject: Advertising for Tolerance in Hamburg From: GSNews Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:33:23 -0400 Message-ID: In Hamburg, Scientology is advertising for tolerance of itself - and storms their critics' information booths Hamburg, Germany October 26, 1999 taz Hamburg Nr. 5974 by Eberhard Spohd Crusade of the Desolate Scientology burst vehemently back into the public's eye yesterday in Hamburg. Amidst a big name fanfare, the organization, which is under surveillance by the Hamburg Constitutional Security Agency, celebrated the end of its "European Marathon for Human Rights" on Alsteranleger. A "Torch of Freedom" was carried over 4,500 kilometers and through seven countries from Athens to Hamburg. About 1,500 adherents wanted to "make the public more aware of the United Nations General Declaration of Human Rights, and to go on stage for freedom of religion." That is not surprising, but the controversial organization views itself as a church and feels discriminated against in Germany. "It is no accident that Scientology chose Hamburg as the destination city of its marathon," stated Manfred Murck, current director of the State Office for Constitutional Security, "since their model European center is here." Murck has deduced that there are about 1,000 members in the Hanseatic City [of Hamburg], and that this number has remained constant for years. Scientology continues to finance itself with the fees from its courses and with the sale of booklets or books. One leg of support, however, has broken off, "The members who are most able to pay came, for a long time, from the construction and real estate businesses." Because of their crises, there were economic problems. Murck described yesterday's demonstration not only as a "protest, but also as a recruitment effort." Ursula Caberta agreed with that. The Director [Caberta] of the Work Group on Scientology of the Interior agency accused the organization of disguising their true motives: "Goals unobjectionable to the normal citizen were hidden behind formulations at their event." In reality, she said, something quite different was at stake than was was assumed: "The Scientologists wanted to advertise for themselves." Caberta and her work group have been doing information work on Scientology in Hamburg for seven years. Members of the organization responded at the booth which the work group had erected yesterday. They tore information leaflets from the book table, and one even spit at somebody who was distributing the leaflets. "Anyone who behaves like that," commented Caberta, "has to be nervous." The desolate condition of the organization in Hamburg is said to have been managed through the work of her office. She was contradicted by the President of Scientology Hamburg, Gisela Hackenjos. Yesterday, she revealed that the organization was moving into a new center in the city. But she no more wanted to give any information about the new building's owner than she did about the amount of the rent for the more than 3,000 square meters: "We are not talking about money. Either we have it or we don't. Mostly we have it." ---------------------------------------------------- German Scientology News Unofficial translations from German-speaking countries Index/link to over 700 articles - http://cisar.org/trnmenu.htm Informational publications - http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News For non-commercial use only Have a nice day ======== Subject: Only information helps sect disorder From: GSNews Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:33:50 -0400 Message-ID: Only information helps against sect disorder Berlin, Germany October 26, 1999 Die Welt Commentary by Edgar S. Hasse Americans who stridently sneer at Germany because Scientologists are alleged to be oppressed there should have been at the Hamburg Alster yesterday. There they would have experienced just the opposite. As never before, the controversial organization was out hunting for souls in the city - in a publicity event disguised as a demonstration. On the one side, the legal state's tolerance of this event shows how seriously it takes the constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of demonstration and freedom of religion. Anybody may profit from those freedoms, no matter how obscure their opinions or how doubtful their operating methods are. On the other side, it is clear how calmly the Hamburg community presence reacted to the "Alster Vergnuegen" for Scientologists. No trace of hysteria. That is because, in a state of Basic Law, anybody may be happy according to his own - or unhappy. To be sure, tolerance should not go so far as to avoid information and explanation of so-called "churches." Those who work with such subtle methods, as continue to be reported by former members from their own painful experiences, should not escape the public eye. In maintaining that, the last few years in Hamburg have shown that it is absolutely worthwhile to proceed on the basis of the front of the legal state against Scientology, and to report on this organization in every scope. The "Eppendorfer Alliance," a group of political parties, church congregations, students and residents, even managed to get Scientology to give up its branch in Eppendorf. It remains appropriate for the Hanseatic community presence to continue distributing information on the psycho[logical] practices and the commercial goals of Scientology in the future - be it in schools or at demonstrations. That is because it is only those who are sufficiently informed who will not get bogged down with the Scientologists. ----------------------------------------------------- German Scientology News Unofficial translations from German-speaking countries Index/link to over 700 articles - http://cisar.org/trnmenu.htm Informational publications - http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News For non-commercial use only Have a nice day ======== Subject: Outrage at Scientology recruitment in the city From: GSNews Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:34:10 -0400 Message-ID: Outrage at Scientology recruitment in the city Hamburg, Germany October 26, 1999 Die Welt City's hands are tied by the demonstration law - CDU: A provocation for the citizens of Hamburg by Wiebke Spannuth and Deborah Knuer All thoroughfare came to a stop downtown on Monday. Members of the Scientology sect stood everywhere and pressed leaflets and balloons into the hands of passersby. On two stages on Stein Street and on Alsteranleger, sect members had rolled out red carpets. However, they were not greeted ceremoniously by any means, but with police whistles and boo's. The Scientology Commissioner of the Hamburg Senate, Ursula Caberta, warned about the "psycho[logical] concern's strategy." She said it had hidden its goals behind formulations which sounded unobjectionable. The "Marathon for Religious Freedom" in the central city was said to be an example of the strategy. Scientology was not a church, but a psycho-concern which exploited people. "The organization's goals and ideology are directed against our liberal democratic basic order." On the fringes of the activity, 15 members of the Youth Union (JU) distributed leaflets entitled, "Stop Scientology!" It said that the goal of the Scientology Organization was the achievement of a totalitarian dictatorship and legal system. While the organization claimed, unjustifiably, entitlements to the protection by Basic Law for religious freedom, it simultaneously harassed and spied on its opponents with its own secret service. It was said to use conspiratorial methods to infiltrate important areas of state and society. Sect marshals immediately tried to drive off the protesters. "Go someplace else, we've rented this spot," is what Jan Foertsch of the JU repeated of the short exchange of words. Rental, however, has nothing to do with it. The fact is that the demonstration had been reported, in advance, to the police. "Scientology is not a prohibited organization, therefore the demonstration falls under freedom of assembly," said a police spokesman. The big tents and the stages also fell under "assembly." The central district office had only given a special usage permit to the sect to set up three tents so that actors could change clothes. However, it denied Scientology the usage of a large crane which Scientology wanted to use to film the crowd. The sect sued for that, in vain, in administrative court. The CDU citizens faction is appalled. "We will still check to see if the permit had to have been granted on legal grounds," said faction chief Ole von Beust. "We perceive this event in the middle of the city as a provocations of the Hamburg citizenry." He said that Scientology exploited its members, shamelessly exploited people in need, and wanted to bring its victims into a state of dependency. In the central district office, it is believed that the permit for three small tents had to have been granted. "Under principle of equal treatment, we had to allow Scientology to set up the tents," said spokeswoman Claudia Eggers. "We cannot refuse to issue the permit at our whim." In the meantime, the sect is proudly moving into its new spaces: the sect center will now be found not far from the assembly building at the corners of Dom Street and Neuer Fischmarkt. ---------------------------------------------------- German Scientology News Unofficial translations from German-speaking countries Index/link to over 700 articles - http://cisar.org/trnmenu.htm Informational publications - http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News For non-commercial use only Have a nice day