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Subject: Picket Report - London
From: John Ritson <john@jritson.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 00:55:41 +0100
Message-ID: <SbRV5AA9voh3EwPf@jritson.demon.co.uk>
Hot Time - Summer in the City - time for Suppressives to enturbulate the Scientologists.
Something called a "What is Scientology" exhibition started today at the Selfridge Hotel (just behind Selfridges store on Oxford Street. Basically it is a cross between a book launch - celebrating the fact that the price of WIS is now increased to eighty pounds - and a body-routing session. The Scientologists have hired a function room for a week and are littering Oxford Street with "invitations" with a picture of a bridge on one side, and promises that you can "Participate in a live demonstration of how your mind works and actually 'see' a thought". Three suppressives turned up to the opening night. Two were recognised by our old friend Jacques Vollet of OSA and turned away, another got in, but was eventually ejected. Jacques' memory clearly contradicted his status as a 'Clear' as 'Clears' are supposed to have perfect memory and Jacques was wildly fishing for the third person's identity, despite having met him before.
So we leafleted outside the hotel entrance. At first we were jealous because people who got into the event got a free expensively-printed booklet about L. Ron Hubbard, but ordinary members of the public inveigled into the book launch are not so enthusiastic and a discarded copy was soon available.
The Scientologists came out to counter us (just handing out more of the 'invitations') but they were of really poor quality. Two of them told the identical story of how Scientology must be good because they knew of a a drug addict was alive because of Narconon. We replied that Lisa McPherson was dead because of Scientology. Others urged us to visit the exhibition which would certainly convince us, until we pointed out the obstacle.
Jacques Vollet however has developed a very good technique for snatching our leaflets out the hands of passers-by, but it only annoys them and makes them more eager to take the leaflet.
On two separate occasions, Scientologists showed off their erudition by classifying us as 1.1, until Jacques realised that this was threatening to turn into a discussion between us and them about the "tech" which we were more knowledgeable about than they were, and warned them off. One of the two even claimed to be OSA, in which case standards are really declining.
Finally Jacques brought out their bizarre masterpiece, the "blimp", wearing a check suit and a vacant gaze. He never initiated any conversation, but would answer questions in a dull monotone. He had spent one hundred and fify thousand dollars on Scientology. He was "Clear", admitted that he did not have perfect memory, but he "no longer had a reactive mind". He had a couple of cheap badges for which he had paid thousands of dollars more. He did not mind that his money was largely going to fund lawyers.
Was this was an attempt to frighten us by showing us "this is what Scientology can do to the human brain"?
We stopped after a couple of very enjoyable hours when we ran out of leaflets. John ***
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Subject: Re: Picket Report - London
From: "Shellac" <shellac@shellac.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 13:17:13 +0100
Message-ID: <7m7dk6$bqf$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>
As the other SP turned away by Mr Vollet I'll add a couple of comments to John's post:
>Three suppressives turned up to the opening night. Two were recognised
>by our old friend Jacques Vollet of OSA and turned away, another got in,
>but was eventually ejected. Jacques' memory clearly contradicted his
>status as a 'Clear' as 'Clears' are supposed to have perfect memory and
>Jacques was wildly fishing for the third person's identity, despite
>having met him before.
Yep. Jacques seems to be more and more confused. Jacques 'handled' me for a while, during which he seemed to be back tracking wildly on specific claims that I could refute. For example, Jacques seems to accept that memories recovered during auditing (cleared engrams) are not real. Aha. Which, as I pointed out to him makes him a squirrel (he told me to report him to RTC). Could the shocking truth be that Jacques is actually subverting Scientology from within?
I also observed Jacques clearly slipping out of present time as he gazed blankly at a lamp post while John and the other supressive talked to him. His beloved 'tech' seems to be failing. Most noticable were his 'reactive' (and rather extravagant, for a man of his age) leaps into passersby when they took our leaflets. That he remained unharmed by this behavior was miraculous.
More generally this exhibition seemed misdirected, and financially damaging. The impression given by their ad campaign suggested a bid for respectability. The tawdry truth is that no press were invited, and they seem to have simply rented a (very) expensive office for more body routing. I doubt that Selfridge hotel was aware that this would be going on. One employee came out to see what was going on. He seemed bemused by the activities of the Scientologists, and (joy) saw nothing wrong with our presence outside. Thus the usual call to the police was never placed my Mr Vollet.
Despite its inauspicious beginnings the evening was quite a success. I will try to get in later in the week to witness the "See a thought" demonstration (my expectations aren't high). Jacques can't be on the door 12 hours a day (but I told him I'd try, so it could be an exhausting week for him). I left with a spring in my step, and a glossy profile of Hubbard's life - helpfully deposited by a disgruntled memeber of the public outside Selfridge's food hall. Scientologists were confronted with up-tone SPs who knew what 1.1 meant, and indeed clearly knew more tech than they did.
'Shellac' (aka 'Big Fella' in past picket reports)
Subject: UK picket [London]
From: "Shellac" <shellac@shellac.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:20:25 +0100
Message-ID: <7mf4oc$jge$1@news4.svr.pol.co.uk>
Having promised Jaques Vollet that I would return to Selfridges Hotel (where the 'What is Scientology?' exhibition is currently on show) I planned to return yesterday (Monday 12th July). Walking down Oxford Street (London's main shopping street - unaccountably popular considering it is permanently populated with thousands of grazing shoppers, making movement virtually impossible). On my journey I witness 40s Pop sensation, the Jive Aces, giving a demonstration of their talents just off Oxford Street (Old Cavendish Street) to promote Scientology - but clearly not to music lovers.
I finally arrive at Selfridge's hotel. Due to the blazing sun (no - really - we are currently having our fortnight of summer) I cannot see through the glass doors to see whether Jacques Vollet (who thwarted John Ritson and my plans to view the exhibition) is on guard. As I enter I can see Jacques is sat down to my left, but I decide to bluff it out and march straight upstairs, anticipating the patter of tiny OSA shoes behind me. Alas! Jacques must have slipped out of present time (or perhaps he is lightly dozing) for he totally fails to notice.
The exhibition itself is a disappointent. There are virtually no members of the public in there, and of the four I take to be outsiders one is clearly less than impressed (he got a hardback book out of them - something about theology? Looked pricey - and eventually gets Graham Wilson, uk press officer and loser in Bonnie's recent victory, out to talk); another seems to be a friend of one of the scientologists; and the other two seem unaccountable fascinated by a video of Hubbard. I assume that they were plants. On the other hand I became intrigued by the video, for Hubbard's teeth seem to have been painted white. Hypnotic.
I subject myself to the 'pinch' test. Essentially all that happens is that I grasp the 'cans' of the e-meter, then a woman pinches me, and susequently 'clears' the memory of the pinch. Intriguingly as a supressive I am supposed to 'rock slam', that is the needle is supposed to shoot off to the right when the cans are first held. No such thing happens. The woman claims that her minor auditing was a success, but a voice from behind me contradicts her. Jacques has arrived. He seems to be reluctant to eject me, but hovers behind me for several minutes while I take in the wonders of Scientology on display. This takes less than two minutes. A video utilises the acting talents of people rejected by 'The Bold and the Beautiful' to explain the reactive mind. 'Sunset Beach' is Shakesperean by comparison.
I chat to a woman for a while who is less than convincing, then leave. Jacques asks me what I thought, to which the only response is 'Where were the price lists?'. Contrary to their leaflets I did not "see" a thought, I did not learn "valuable methods to make life better", and their "unique insights into nearly every aspect of the Scientology religion" never mentioned paying for courses, a major part of Scientology, I think we would agree.
Later that day another critic (and former scientologist) and I return to hand out leaflets. I am handled by a guy who is 'nearly clear' but even I can stare better than him. Afterwards my friend tells me that he thought I was getting through to him. We live in hope. Despite being handled my friend has 'leaflet tech' training, and appears to be able to hand out hundreds of leaflets in minutes. This may be the only useful part of his training. Shellac
