Subject: Picket Report - Brighton (UK)
From: John Ritson <john@jritson.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 00:54:05 +0100
Message-ID: <oL+bNHAdU4G4Ewse@jritson.demon.co.uk>
After the suppressive Chinese meal followed by enturbulation of the Tottenham Court Road 'org' in London on Friday night, alert Scientologists may have deduced that a picket was planned for Saturday afternoon.
They would have been correct, only the picket was in Brighton, about an hour away by train.
The Brighton 'org' is located at the edge of a shopping precinct near the centre of town, but on the top floor of a small office block, presenting only a blank door and an entryphone to passers-by. We were rather nonplussed when we first arrived as the space underneath the org was occupied by a Colombian pan-pipe band, and the Socialist Workers Party were noisily canvassing for the re-nationalisation of the railways in front of them.
But we selected a free zone actually in front of the org's door and stretching down to the 'Lamb and Flag' for placarding and leafleting. Soon the SWP went away and the pan-pipers took a long break, giving us the opportunity to raise our voices.
Awareness of the evils of Scientology was very high in Brighton, with people thanking us for our work and hardly anybody even in doubt as to how bad Scientology was.
We only saw about half-a dozen Scientologists all afternoon, as they scuttled in and out of the door. Two did a brief bit of leafleting with the 'Think for yourself' flyer well away from us, and they were all totally 'non-confront'. Whatever they paid for their 'Communication Courses' was wasted and the Course Supervisor needs serious re-training as the only words uttered to us all afternoon by the Scientologists were 'Why are you here?' and two words suggesting sex and travel.
We gave out about 500 leaflets and then repaired to a local hostelry to watch the rugby. John
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Subject: Picket report, Brighton
From: Roland <roland.rashleigh-berry@virgin.net>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 09:14:16 +0000
Message-ID: <7vh1dg$cok$2@nclient13-gui.server.virgin.net>
What threatened to be a ruined picket turned out to be a very successful one in terms of leaflets distributed and support from the local people. 500+ leaflets were distributed and these were people taking them because they wanted them rather than having them thrust on them. Special guest was Barb so we were pleased the picket was a success.
When we turned up at the clam HQ there was a Columbian pipe band playing there with a very effective sound system powered by a generator. A few feet away were the Socialist Worker's Party campaigning for the renationalisation of the railways. Add to that the boom-box didn't work. Add to that it looked like it was about to rain and shortly did. But two signs were erected and were held by Barb, John Titson, Hartley and BigYin in turn. Dave Bird did a bit of singing without aid of the boom box. This was when the pipe band took a break. A short distance away was the pub "The Lamb and Flag" which had very good foot traffic passing and it was there that Hartley gacve out in excess of half the 500+ flyers to a very supportive public. The Brighton public have gotten wise to Scientology, hopefully through out help but it hardly matters.
There was very little clam opposition though they are still there in force. They seemed to have 6 staff members in but no sign of any students other than them. The Scientology sign had been removed so it could be a member of the public had taken it as a souvenir. They sent out some counter-leafletters but some distance off. They do not contront because they know I will give them all the stuff about OT III after I have got talking to them and then their staff will leave in a matter of weeks.
We made a useful contact there.
After the picket we went back to the Queen's Head near the station to watch the rugby (the name "Queen's Head" seems peculiarly apt for the new management there). A great game with Australia narrowly beating the Republic of South Africa in extra time. Then we returned to Victoria station in London and Barb and I went to the Wetherspoons there and sank several pints of Fuller's IPA bitter.
There might be a big story breaking in the UK concerning what might be massive fraud being committed before they do a slash and burn move here in the UK. It is quite possible that the cult might be gone from the UK in a year and that they know it and want to extract as much money as possible before they leave. Roland
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Subject: PICKET, Brighton(UK), Sat 30th October.
From: Dave Bird <dave@xemu.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 1999 00:41:55 +0000
Message-ID: <bJrEX3DTHOH4EwiS@xemu.demon.co.uk>
If anyone remembers the film Repo Man by Alex Cox, the characters said "fuck off you motherfuckers" quite a lot, and the British censors insisted it be over-dubbed as "flip off you melon-farmers." I don't know whether he also had to rename himself Alex Penises.
This gave the title of www.melonfarmers.co.uk, a website about film and censorship. I went to an event about film censorship on Wednesday., with a couple of the melonfarmers crew.
Back on Friday. I met up with Roland, John, Shellac, and Steve-C-T at the Fitzroy tavern, to meet Barb and friend who were over in London. We had a nice chinese together and talked about film, animation, clambusting and other shared interests.
We passed the bOrg and did a group photo outside. One of the usual clams popped out and said in a very tone-40 manner that we should go outside the property line marked by the edge of the cellar. Satisfied he had been very businesslike and seen us off, he turned round and walked... straight into a glass door without opening it. His OT powers did not allow him to dematerialise and pass though it.
We walked north and stopped for a drink at the Prince of Wales Feathers on Warren Street. Jacques Vollet was going home from the Org and came to see us. Of course he grew all over the newcomer like fungus on a stone wall to pump her for information, and ignored the rest of us.
Next day we met 10:00am at Victoria Station, minus Steve C.T. - went by car and had a breakdown - but plus HartleyP. We had reports that the clams have an upstairs office by the clock on Queens Head Road, and in Duke's Lane which is 20yds further south and turn right. Bonnie and Richard Woods would have like to have been there, but were on a week's holiday in the southwest funded by their recent legal victory over the church of scientology. So we headed down to the plave by Churchill Square where their main 3rd floor office is. Local reports say they have four out body-routing (?and one back in the office) most days, but that seems to be their entire staff.
Only a couple of problems. First our pitch outside the travel agents was taken by the new incarnation of the Jive Aces, who have been reborn as the Colombian MarchingPowder PanPipe Band. They had a rather nice outdoor PA, midrange horns and tweeter horns and a bass cone-speaker in grey high-density polythene cabs. But mains, run on a generator, not battery. And, when they had a half hour break, our own PA was defective; Damian is repairing it.
Still, all in all a good picket, with Barb and John by the band,Shellac at the top, me in the middle, HartleyP by the steps. We put out about 700 leaflets, mostly "Insane Cult" ones.
'
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from Pub
When the band quieted, we did a lot of shouting and singing ourselves, unamplified. There was no sign of Nasty Mr Moustache (the ED or DSA), maybe he's blown.
Three of us started back to the pub at 14:45, Roland and John to see the Australia vs South Africa rugger game (rugger is like american "football", rather than soccer, but without the body armour), myself 'cos I was tired. The other three followed shortly afterwards. The sky went black on the TV at Twickenham about 15-20 miles away, then outside in Brighton. A quick hop to the train and we set off home.
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From: John Ritson <john@jritson.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Scientology 0 : MEST 1
Date: 1999/10/30
Message-ID: <sH+aODAcRkG4EwMC@jritson.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
On Friday night, a number of UK suppressives (plus foreign guests) foregathered at a Chinese restaurant for an evening of wining, dining and suppressiveness. Afterwards, being in the neighbourhood of the Tottenham Court Road 'Org' some of the evil pawns of Xenu decided to wander past the 'Org' for an impromptu photo session. After the photos had been taken, the regular receptionist on the weekend and evening shift emerged to tell us to get off Scientology property (a line about two feet in front of the window displaying posters for 'What is Scientology'). After we had all shuffled ourselves across this line, he smiled triumphantly, turned on his heel and walked straight into the closed glass door of the 'Org'. Obviously his OT powers should have enabled him to pass though the door, but his hidden crimes plus the presence of the massed suppressives caused him to 'pull in' a nasty nose-door collision in full view of the staff, the suppressives, and the whole street.
We wandered, full of hilarity, along the road, and were seated outside a nearby hostelry when who should come past but our old and confused friend Jacques Vollet of OSA. Clearly he was worried by our appearance, and sought to demoralise us by explaining that Hubbard's views on Venus were supported by such a great authority as Immanuel Velikovsky's book "Worlds in Collision".
We get 'Big Wins' even when we aren't picketing..... John ***
