Picket reports

Subject: Stockholm pickets, vigil Friday evening plus link for Saturday
From: "Christer Lindstrom" (clind@carasoft.se)
Date: 7 Dec 97

Before going to the Stockholm picket on Friday, I made sure that the next days picket should have a proper permit. I got a little upset on my first solo picket, and thought it would be wise to have a real permit. Together with the permit for Saturday, I filed a brief text of concern for our safety, and the way Co$ could possibly act. I also informed them that we would have a small vigil Friday night with less than 3 participants, so we did not ask for a permission for that. Finally, I got my permit confirmed by fax 2 o'clock..

On Friday evening I arrived to the Stockholm org around 7. Ake Wiman was already there, and had three small candles lightened, and a yellow picket sign with Lisa McPherson on it, with the text "Scientology - greedy, dangerous and lethal".

Close to him stood a scientologist, an american, in a way to small leather jacket, at least for the polar conditions in Stockholm in December (-5 Celsius, snow and freezing). Just as I arrived, Ake asked him to join him for a cup of coffee, because the poor guy was *cold* with that lousy outfit of clothing. The guy (from now on referred to as the "leather guy") first seemed to accept, but suddenly changed his mind and went silent. He actually started to look angry, and restless. While Ake and I were talking with a person passing by, he suddenly decided to try to put out one of the three candles on the ground! He put his foot/shoe over one, and simply choked it. Ake immediately took the candle and lighted it again, and we both told him very clear that we would not accept such behavior.

After about another 5 minutes he decided to start picking on me, and harassed me with touches, trying to get as physically close as possible. I told him to stop it, but he didn't. I then immediately called the police, using Ake's cellular phone. They were rather busy, and I decided to call 10 minutes later. The leather guy seemed to understand that I was serious, and stopped harassing me. He made a short comment "we have already called them". Just when I was to return the phone to Ake, another guy quickly sneaked out of the org, and stole two candles! Ake immediately followed him in, pushed one scieno little at the side, got the candles back, and came out again.

A friend of Ake arrived, Carina, who had been in the Co$ due to U-Man recruitment a couple of years ago. We talked for some time, and suddenly a big police-van with 7 (I think) cops. Three of them came out, and started to talk with us, and said that there had been filed a complaint of assault by the picketers! We started to smile, and two of the cops went inside the org. They came out, and asked Ake about his version. After some time, and discussions with the scienos, the policeman said, very formally, "I hereby do what I have to do: I inform you that you are charged with suspicion of assault" etc.. He looked truly disgusted, and were very friendly.

Ake then decided to charge the scienos with theft alt. harassment because of the candles that were stolen. I gave my personal data so I could be called as a witness. Now they were getting interested in our safety, and we made a deal to move about 5 yards, not to be in the way of the main entrance to the org. While we were discussing this, another cop radioed in to get data about our picket, as I had told them about my permit and the letter. The dispatcher then read my letter over the radio! All cops now got more and more friendly with us, and got more and more suspicious about the scienos. The scienos were told not to confront us, and the rest of the evening was uneventful.

The most fun part of this whole story, is that this part of town is *empty* in the evening, especially with -5 degrees and wind blowing. What the scienos achieved was attention from not 2 persons, but at least 20 people passing by or looking at the circus, 7 cops, several people looking at us from the windows of their apartments etc, all now *much* more interested in our flyers and "what did the scienos do this time?" type of approach. Our little picket sort of grew from 2 to 15 in no time!

There are no pictures from this picket (except the ones the scienos took), but the Saturday picket is entirely documented:
Here

(That picket was actually rather boring in comparison with Friday night!)
Winter greetings from Stockholm, Christer Lindstrom