Berlin mini-demo against Scientology

Subject: report on Berlin mini-demo against scientology
From: tilman@berlin.snafu.de (Tilman Hausherr)
Date: Fri, 05 Dec 1997

Two years ago, scientologist Lisa McPherson died in scientology after 17 days of "care" by scientology, which is why there are demos around the world (USA, Canada, UK, Australia) today and tomorrow.

We met at 10am at a cafe nearby to have breakfast (excellent!!). At 11 there was a "press conference" but not many journalists were there, and we gave them some materials. At 11:30 we went to the US embassy. We were about 10 - 13 people, most dressed in black. We had card boards of Lisa McPherson looking cute (because she was alive), one of them had the text "Lisa McPherson Scientology victim". The cardboard was *black*, this was very appropriate. One had brought white flowers, this looked very nice too. We had a german and one american flag; the american flag was held by a real US citizen.

The pictures has been printed out weeks before by two Berlin netizens (not me). I met one of them later, it was a guy with whom I had done software development about 10 years ago, it had been a very pleasant time. (You know who you are!)

Three of us (Rev. Thomas Gandow, Renate Rennebach (member of parliament), and myself) entered the embassy to deliver the condolence letter. We met with the 1st and 2nd secretary of the embassy and had a discussion with them for about 45 minutes, while the other demonstrators were left in the cold :-(

You should be aware that these guys are kind of "officials of the US state department", which means that they provided us with the statements of state department, which are well known, so I won't repeat them all here (e.g. that the state dept does *not* approve the "nazi" comparison). They did not move one inch away from the state dept positions (including the many that I do not like), so if my text makes it look so, then my text is a wrong interpretation.

A longer discussion was about the way that freedom of religion is seen in the US - including the freedom to join weird movements and hate groups. TG mentioned the freedom to leave, and the freedom to criticize a religion.

The discussion was of course very friendly and polite. The discussion was mostly about the differences how scientology is seen here, what they do here, what they do there. The 1st secretary mentioned that Germany is indeed a "state of law" (= Rechtsstaat) and that it respects religious freedom. It was often repeated by them that Germany and the USA are very similar countries, who have a lot in common, etc. We mentioned certain persecutions, e.g. Armstrong (had to flee the US), Young (harassed by scientology), Wollersheim (still harassed after all these years), Dennis Erlich (sued for *copyright* violation !!!). I explained them that freedom of religion does not mean freedom to act, and that scientology did practice "freedom of religion" on Lisa, and that Lisa is dead. They did have read the article in the IHT.

At one time they mentioned that the state attorney would prosecute actual crimes, and that other abuses could be prosecuted privately. I mentioned how difficult this is, and that there is even a section in CA law that plaintiffs have to ask the court for permission to sue a church. I mentioned Dee and Glower Rowe, who were kidnapped by scientology and failed to sue them because of this. But most of the time I didn't talk, I let the two others do it :-)

Renate Rennebach mentioned that a first version the resolution had alleged that *she* had called for a boycott of a Tom Cruise movie, and after she complained (she had said that the boycott is dumb!), it was changed that "her party had called for it" (which is also false).

TG mentioned that we see scientology not as a "religion" or a "church",
but as an "organization".

The 1st secretary mentioned that scientology had also done visits at the embassy, and that they complained about persecution and discrimination, and that it was difficult to get actual *FACTS* from them, i.e. who, where, whom, how, and IF THEY TOOK IT TO THE COURT.

We also discussed the resolution. Here the 1st secretary (who is of the political department in the embassy) said something very interesting: that in Congress a resolution on religious freedom basically "runs by itself", (everyone is *for* religious freedom) so its quite amazing that 3/4 were against it.

People exchanged business cards, and one of the embassy guys has an e-mail address. It was mutually agreed that it is important to stay in touch. Rennebach explained some highlights of the coming legislation, e.g. to protect children raised in scientology.

Journalists also took fotos of us in the embassy entrance room.

Outside the protesters distributed a few leaflets (people thought they were *for* scientology initially), and read aloud the text of the condolence letter.

[Photograph courtesy of Tilman Hausherr]

=========
The German / American Citizens Committee on
Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA
c/o Dialog Center
Heimat 27
14165 Berlin, Germany

Letter of condolence to the United States Ambassador to Germany
Berlin, December 5, 1997

Dear Sir,

we wish to express our condolences to you and the American people for the death of Lisa McPherson, who died exactly two years ago on December 5, 1995, and to express our concern over the human rights violations committed by the US headquartered organization known as Scientology towards its members, including many US citizens.

Lisa McPherson entered Scientology in 1982. She became a model Scientologist who had paid over $175,000 in her last five years. On November 18, 1995, she had a minor automobile accident. She behaved strangely at the scene of the accident, even going so far as to take her clothes off in the street and to ask for help, and was subsequently taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. Scientologists quickly got her out of the hospital against the advice of the doctor, claiming that she would get "rest and relaxation" at the Fort Harrison Hotel (the spiritual" headquarters of Scientology in Clearwater, FL). There, they claimed, she would be able to avoid "the psychs," a Scientology term for psychologists and psychiatrists, whom Scientologists hate with a passion.

17 days later, Lisa McPherson was dead at the age of 36.

The autopsy showed that the cause of death was a blood clot which had been caused by bed rest and severe dehydration; the medical examiner said that McPherson had gone without fluids for five to ten days and was unconscious for up to 48 hours before her death; her hands apparently showed bite marks from cockroaches. The organization of Scientology, its attorneys and some of its members have stonewalled investigations by the police, her family, and the press. But documents gathered through a lawsuit started by her family show that she went through a terrible ordeal, during which she was held against her will and was illegally given the potent sedative chloral hydrate without proper medical supervision, while Scientologist clerks, librarians, and other non-medical personnel watched her lose her mind and her life. After her death, fellow Scientologists looted Lisa's bank account with forged personal checks.

We wish to express our support for the American people and the American government in ending human rights violations against US citizens and other people, committed by the Scientology Organization.

As German friends of the United States of America or as US citizens, we are concerned that the organization responsible for the tragic death of Lisa McPherson is trying to damage the German-American friendship for which we have all worked so very hard during the last decades. Because of the staunch position the United States takes concerning human rights worldwide, we call on the American government to confront and stop human rights violations being committed by Scientology and to reestablish in the country of democracy the true freedom of life, speech, religion, personality and pursuit of happiness, which includes:

· Freedom for everyone to speak about his experiences, knowledge and thoughts in any organization, church or cult, be it religious or not;
· Freedom for members of an organization, church or cult, religious or not, to leave that organization, without being detained, threatened or persecuted;
· Freedom from fear of being confronted with material that a religious or therapeutic organization has obtained through religious or spiritual counseling; Such material should not be allowed to be used for publication, litigation, or blackmail;
· Freedom from persecution through Copyright Laws; such laws should not be used against members who try to support their arguments by citing church scriptures" or spiritual literature" or other texts associated with the group;
· Full application of law enforcement to prosecute fraud, mental and physical abuse hidden behind the shield of religion";
· Refusal / Withdrawal of tax exemptions for secretive organizations, be they religious or not. Full disclosure of past secret agreements with the IRS.

The German / American Citizens Committee on Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA Deutsch-amerikanisches Bürgerkomittee für Menschenrechte und Religionsfreiheit in den USA

P.S.: We express our thanks to the 318 members of Congress who opposed House Concurrent Resolution 22.

Signatories in alphabetical order:

Gerry Armstrong, now Canada, artist; William C. Barwell, Houston, TX; Heidrun Beer, Schottwien (Austria), Software developer; Eva Beisiegel, Berlin, Politologist; Volker Benedikt, Villingen-Schwenningen, Teacher; Klaus-Uwe Benneter, Berlin, attorney and notar; Dr. Hans-Ulrich Berndt, Berlin, director of studies; Liane von Billerbeck, Berlin, Journalist; Jutta Birlenberg, Leverkusen, KIDS e.V.; Carola Burgtorf, Berlin, Biologist; Monika Buttgereit, Berlin, vice-chairwoman of Berlin SPD; Ursula Caberta, Hamburg; Joe Cisar, Cleveland, OH (vietnam veteran); Forrest L. Cole, Stockbridge, GA, Refund Consultant; Bernd Donatus, Berlin; Ursula Dyckhoff, sociologist & urban planner; Tom Elliott, Ontario, Canada; Dr. Andreas Finke, Berlin, Lutheran minister & scientific assistant; Dirk John Fischer, Youngstown, OH, videograph; Jonas Flygare, Sweden, Software developer; Thomas Gandow, Berlin, Lutheran minister; Ute Gandow, Berlin, Housewife; Marion Gerhardt, Berlin, sociologist; Friedrich Griess, Vienna (Austria), Engineer; Thomas Härtel, City Council for school and youth (SPD), Berlin-Steglitz; Tilman Hausherr, Berlin, Software Developer; H. Keith Henson, Palo Alto, CA, Computer Consultant; Ralph Hilton, Schottwien (Austria), Ex Scientology staff member; James Hornsby, CA, Student; Odette Jaccard-Fuchs, Zürich (Switzerland), housewife, AGSD; Sandra Jamison, USAF AD/DW; Frank Kempe, Berlin, Student; Gerald Kluge, Meissen, Chaplain; Kurt Kreibohm, Berlin, Lutheran minister; Holger Kulick, Berlin, Writer; Friedrich von Kymmel, Usedom, Lutheran minister; Michael Laudeley, Dresden, cult awareness group of the students council of TU Dresden; Jaan J. Leppik, Tallinn, Estonia, Lutheran Deacon; Stefan Liebke, Berlin; Dr. Paul-Stefan Mauz, MP, Stuttgart, spokesperson on cults of CDU group in state parliament; Ted Mayett, Las Vegas, NV; Klaus Mischke, university teacher, Berlin & Stockholm; Winfried Müller, Jena, religio" database admin; Ehrhart Neubert, Berlin, CDU, former east german civil rights activist; Manfred Neumann, Berlin, Psychotherapist; Frank Nordhausen, Berlin, Journalist; Werner Penski, Berlin, Engineer; Christa Pirwaß, Berlin, sexton; Solveig Prass, Leipzig, PR Gewandhaus zu Leipzig (concert hall); Michael Reinig, Berlin, personnel chief; Renate Rennebach, Berlin, Member of Parliament (SPD); Günther Ruhs, Leverkusen; Hella Santarossa, Berlin, Painter; Hiltraut Schierenberg, Berlin; Helmut Schmidt, Berlin, industrial salesman; Dr. Albrecht Schröter, Jena; Hugo Sopp, Berlin, retired Lutheran Minister; Peter Tautfest, Washington, US correspondent for taz"; Wolfgang Thierse, MP (SPD), party vice-chairman; Dr. David S. Touretzky, research scientist, Pennsylvania; Eduard Trenkel, Kassel, Lutheran minister; Alfred Weinert, Berlin; Liselotte Wenzelburger-Mack, Großbettlingen, holder of the cross of merit for the federal republic; Prof. Dr. Hartmut Zinser, Berlin; Ursula Zöpel, Leverkusen, Teacher

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Tilman Hausherr [KoX, SP4]
tilman@berlin.snafu.de http://home.snafu.de/tilman/#cos